Nine young children died in falls from social housing windows and balconies since 2019

Nine children aged under 11 have died after falls from windows or balconies in social housing, according to a new report.

An assessment by the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) of data from 1 April 2019 to 31 May 2025 found a total of 16 deaths of young children as a result of such falls, with the majority occurring in social homes.

Three cases occurred in private rented properties and another occurred in temporary accommodation. In the remainder of cases this information was not known.

For deaths from a window, which numbered 13, there was no lock or restrictor present in four cases, while in eight cases the lock or restraint was broken or disabled.

One theme identified in the report was families reporting windows as broken, sometimes on multiple occasions, and the landlord or local authority failing to fix them quickly enough. 

>> Read more: Ombudsman urges change after ‘inexcusable’ window repair cases 

The news comes as the Housing Ombudsman this week published its own report urging change after “inexcusable” window repair cases.

The NHS-funded NCMD urged landlords to prioritise fixing windows when reported by residents with young children and to ensure appropriate locks are in place. It also gave advice to families, including keeping low furniture away from open windows and balconies.

According to the Child Accident Prevention Trust, one of the most common reasons that young children fall is that “their rapid development takes parents and carers by surprise”, for instance a toddler might climb onto something they had previously been able to reach.

Of the children who died during the period, 12 were aged under five years, while four were aged between five and 10.

The majority, 11, were from Asian, black, mixed, or other ethnic backgrounds, while four were from a white ethnic background. In one case this information was not known.