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Discover our expert safer sleep training and bereavement training. Empowering you to help and empower families, and save babies' lives.
The government released its 2025 Child Poverty Strategy today. The Lullaby Trust has reviewed today’s announcements, with a particular focus on their impact on babies and young children. We have known for some time that there is a clear link between the risk of child death and deprivation.
One key area of the strategy that we welcomed was the commitment to improving temporary accommodation by the government. It is unacceptable that babies and children are more likely to die because of deprivation.
We hope that this will feed in to providing immediate support for those living in temporary accommodation with a baby. In particular, we urge the government to increase support for local authorities to ensure they can fully implement the Homelessness Code of Guidance. This guidance recommends that a cot (a safer sleep space) should be provided by the local authority for children under two years old. This ensures that families, regardless of where they live, can access safer sleep.
The recognition of the needs of vulnerable families is another encouraging area of the strategy. Measures to make public transport more accessible can help families reach essential health and support services. The efforts to reduce digital poverty are also crucial, as this ensures families can access NHS information, as well as advice and support from charities like The Lullaby Trust.
We are pleased to see infant feeding recognised as a priority, making feeding more affordable for families. In addition, the government announced an additional £18.5 million to fund infant feeding services and breastfeeding support in areas with high levels of deprivation. Increased investment in this area is an important step forward to improving outcomes for babies, as breastfeeding is known to reduce the risk of SIDS, as well as offering other health benefits.
While more work is needed to ensure every family has what they need to keep their baby safe, today’s announcement demonstrated meaningful, practical steps forward. We hope Members of Parliament begin working on these steps urgently.
We will continue to work with local authorities and partners across the country to ensure that every family has access to a safer sleep space, and accessible, expert advice, no matter where they live.
Discover our expert safer sleep training and bereavement training. Empowering you to help and empower families, and save babies' lives.
Since parents and carers have been following the risk reduction advice first promoted in the early 1990s, the number of infants dying has fallen significantly.
We exist to keep babies safe and to keep grieving families supported, as no family should face grieving for their baby alone.