New data on infant deaths in temporary accommodation
New data released this week by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Households in Temporary Accommodation, reveals worrying insights about the child mortality rates of those living in temporary accommodation.
Data collected by the National Child Mortality Data base (NCMD) reveals that 104 children in England have now died with temporary accommodation listed as a contributing factor to their death between 2019 and 2025. Of these 104 children, 76 were under the age of one.
This 104 figure could increase, because 140 children died from October 2023 to September 2025 with their main residence listed as temporary accommodation. Whether temporary accommodation was a contributing factor to these deaths is yet to be assessed through the child death review process. It is clear that the increasing deprivation in the UK and the worsening temporary accommodation crisis is becoming a more pressing concern year-on-year.
These deaths are not inevitable. Families living in temporary accommodation need to be supported to help follow the safer sleep advice. This includes both giving them safer sleep advice and ensuring their baby has a cot to sleep in. Worryingly, a 2023 investigation uncovered that there were over 4,100 babies aged under one, placed in temporary accommodation by councils that do not give safer sleep advice and 903 babies in temporary accommodation were placed by councils that said they did not provide cots. It is crucial that urgent action is taken.
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Families living in temporary accommodation may be forced into unsafe sleeping practices with their baby, such as unsafely co-sleeping with multiple family members, or overwrapping their baby to keep them warm. All of these put babies at a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Jenny Ward, The Lullaby Trust CEO
The APPG’s report makes a series of recommendations for the government and local authorities. These include improving standards of temporary accommodation, and improving maternal pathways for pregnant parents experiencing homelessness.
Dr Laura Neilson, CEO of Shared Health Foundation said, “Each year this data is released, we continue to see an increase in these figures. One death is too many. 104 deaths is absolutely scandalous. Every number represents a child who has died, a future lost, and a family left to carry that grief for the rest of their lives.”
No life should be cut short as a result of their living conditions. At The Lullaby Trust, we will continue to do all we can to support families living in temporary accommodation with babies to help them sleep their babies safely.
If you are living in emergency or temporary accommodation and you are worried about your baby, please look at The Lullaby Trust’s advice, and speak to your midwife or health visitor for more support. Following the safer sleep advice will help you keep your baby as safe as possible whilst sleeping, and we‘re here to support you.