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Unsafe sleep: how councils responded to the rule change on cots in temporary accommodation
Two years ago, councils were given a responsibility to provide cots in temporary accommodation. But with babies still dying, Keith Cooper investigates how councils have responded to the new child safety clauses in the Homelessness Code of Guidance
Unsafe sleep: how councils responded to the rule change on cots in temporary accommodation #UKhousingWith babies still dying in temporary accommodation, Keith Cooper investigates how councils have responded to the new child safety clauses in the homelessness code #UKhousingBaby Hailey Thompson slept in a bed she shared with her parents in temporary accommodation. At 6am on 2 April 2024, her dad woke up to find her unresponsive. She was taken by ambulance to hospital, where she later died. She was five months old.
An inquest into Hailey’s death in December 2024 found that when Colchester Council placed her family in Seatrade House, a former office block on the main road to the train station, they had not been provided with a cot.
Michelle Brown, area coroner for Essex, could find no cause of death, according to an account of the inquest by the BBC. However, Ms Brown said she could not rule out Hailey’s death being caused by her parents rolling over. She returned an ‘open’ conclusion, which is given when there is insufficient evidence to decide how a death came about.
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Colchester Borough Homes, which manages homelessness services for Colchester Council, told the BBC at the time that cots were available “on request” and it was reviewing Hailey’s case “with utmost care”. In response to Inside Housing in January 2026, Colchester Council confirmed that the BBC report was accurate.
Hailey’s death in temporary accommodation is far from an isolated case. The National Child Mortality Database found that 80 children died in temporary accommodation between October 2023 and September 2024, most of them babies.
In February 2024 – just weeks before Hailey’s death – the government updated its Homelessness Code of Guidance with clauses aimed at reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government described Hailey’s death to Inside Housing as a “tragic case”. They added: “No family should have to go through this.”
“The law is clear that councils must make sure all temporary accommodation is suitable for each household – we’re investing £3.5bn to support this and tackle homelessness.”
The child safety clauses added to the guidance in 2024 urged councils to support homeless families to “access” a cot for their babies and ensure there is enough space to put one in the temporary housing.
“It is important to support a household to access a cot from the first night in temporary accommodation,” an email sent in February 2024 by the then Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities says.
The same email, seen by Inside Housing, also flags the role that the safer sleep advice can play in reducing the risk of SIDS.
With so many babies still dying in temporary accommodation and for want of a cot, Inside Housing has examined councils’ approach to the provision of cots to families in this housing type. Are councils reducing the risk of SIDS by offering safer sleep advice? And have the new child safety clauses in the Homelessness Code of Guidance made any difference?
‘Stark geographical inequalities’ on cot provision
Data gathered by academics from King’s College London and Oxford Brookes University in early 2024, shared exclusively with Inside Housing, sheds light on the scale of the problem at the point of which the guidance was introduced.
While 65% of all councils said they provided cots to households in temporary accommodation, this proportion fell to 34% for London boroughs. This is particularly relevant because the homelessness crisis is concentrated in the capital. Over half of homeless families are in London, according to research by the Resolution Foundation, and official statistics show that one in 21 children in the capital live in temporary accommodation.
“Many babies are sleeping in unsafe conditions purely because of their postcode”
The data reveals that in 2023, the year before the updated guidance came in, there were more than 4,100 babies (aged under one) placed in temporary accommodation by councils that do not give safer sleep advice, as well as 2,300 pregnant women. And 903 babies in temporary accommodation were placed by councils that said they did not provide cots.
“Families in temporary accommodation should be given cots, 100%. No baby should die because a local authority has failed to provide a cot,” says Monica Lakhanpaul, a professor of integrated community child health and honorary consultant paediatrician at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health.
The overall finding for councils providing cots masked “stark geographical inequalities”, says Katherine Brickell, professor of urban studies at King’s College London and lead on the research. “In London, where child homelessness is highest, only a third of boroughs provide cots,” she says. “That means many babies are sleeping in unsafe conditions purely because of their postcode.”
Safer sleep advice
The analysis also found that only one in five local authorities provided written or verbal advice on safer sleep. In London, less than one in 10 did so.
Professor Brickell says the low level of safer sleep advice being provided is the most concerning finding. “Too many babies and pregnant women are being placed in temporary accommodation without essential safer sleep guidance, despite the fact this advice is simple, quick to deliver and known to prevent harm,” she tells Inside Housing.
Several respondents to the 2024 Freedom of Information (FoI) request said it was not the job of homelessness staff to offer such advice – a position that some, but not all, have since revised.
The FoI response from Tameside Council in Greater Manchester said: “No – we are not trained midwives or maternity professionals and so we are not qualified to give out medical advice.”
4,100
Babies in temporary accommodation in 2023 placed by councils that did not provide safer sleep advice
903
Babies in temporary accommodation in 2023 placed by councils that did not provide a cot
80
Children who died in temporary accommodation between October 2023 and September 2024
Watford Council said: “As a landlord, it would not be appropriate to advise a tenant on how to furnish the space they are placed in or give parenting advice. Most families are in contact with a health visitor who is much better placed to advise on safer sleeping.”
Barnet Council said: “No – this should be available from the health professionals supporting them.”
Inside Housing then went back to 11 authorities in January 2026 to investigate whether they had made any subsequent changes in the two years since the child safety clauses were introduced.
Tameside Council told us that the homelessness code update had “created an opportunity to review our council-wide approach”.
“As part of this, we provide literature alongside verbal advice to families on safe sleeping,” a spokesperson added. “If a cot is required, the team will ensure one is provided for the family at no cost to them.”
Watford Council continues to refer families to health professionals. “Many families are already linked to a health visitor,” a spokesperson said.
Barnet Council said: “We work with a range of partner organisations to provide advice.”
Oxford and Enfield councils also said they did not provide safer sleep advice in their 2024 FoI responses, a position they have not changed today. “The council does not provide sleep advice to families with children,” a spokesperson for Oxford Council told Inside Housing.
“[Safer sleep] information should be shared by housing, as well as clinical staff, and the information is very straightforward”
Enfield Council said it now directs families to charity the Lullaby Trust, which is dedicated to prevent SIDS, but “does not currently provide written or verbal safer sleep advice to families when they move into temporary accommodation”.
Laura Neilson, a practising A&E doctor and chief executive of the Shared Health Foundation, a health and poverty charity, says councils that expect such advice to be delivered by health professionals are “washing their hands” of responsibility.
“We know that most homeless families aren’t in touch with health visitors and this is not a medical issue,” she adds. “Safe sleeping advice is common knowledge, it has been for years, and there is no barrier to accessing training. It is provided by charities such as Lullaby Trust and can take only half an hour.”
Professor Lakhanpaul says it is “everybody’s duty” to give safer sleep advice. “Every contact counts. Information should be shared by housing, as well as clinical staff, and the information is very straightforward. You are not asking people to create their own information; just disseminate what is provided by other organisations,” she adds.
A change in approach?
Inside Housing also approached the nine councils that said in 2024 that they did not provide cots. “No. Clients have their own,” Wandsworth Council said in its 2024 FoI response.
Enfield and Ealing councils said cots could be requested in hotels or B&Bs. “No cots provided… we do not pay for any in B&B,” Enfield Council said.
“The majority of our TA [temporary accommodation] is unfurnished and we would expect the household to provide a cot themselves if they needed one,” Watford Council said.
Responses from Oxford, Barking and Dagenham, and Kensington and Chelsea councils simply stated they did not provide cots. Nottingham and Croydon councils said their approaches to cot provision were under review in early 2024.
So what has changed since then?
All nine councils responded to our requests for an update on cot provision. Three – Wandsworth, Barking and Dagenham, and Nottingham – say they have changed their approach since the update.
Wandsworth Council buys cots for families in temporary accommodation that do not have them and “signposts” families to organisations that provide safer sleep advice “on arrival”, a spokesperson explains.
“We also ensure in advance that the temporary accommodation has adequate space for a cot before placing a family there.”
Barking and Dagenham says it now provides cots and safer sleep advice.
Nottingham has supplied 40 cots for £199 each since it began doing so in January 2025. It still doesn’t provide safer sleep advice, but is “considering doing so”, a spokesperson says.
Kensington and Chelsea Council still does not provide cots, but it has “several routes through which families can access them”, a spokesperson says.
Enfield Council says it has “not changed its approach to the provision of cots”.
Croydon Council has provided seven cots at a total cost of £600 since February 2024 to families it rehoused in its hostel accommodation. External providers are required to provide cots with new mattresses for children under two. Families in its longer-term unfurnished accommodation “provide their own furniture”, but are referred to charities to access cots, a spokesperson says.
“This is about understanding that the single most important thing to prevent a child’s death is to give them a cot. It is life-saving”
Watford Council says it asks families if they need cots, but it has not received such requests. “We ensure that families have a cot and suitably sized accommodation,” a spokesperson adds.
Oxford Council says it is “aware of its responsibilities” to families with children under the age of two. “Although there have been no requests for cots since the update to the Homelessness Code of Guidance, the council would make sure that one is provided where necessary,” a spokesperson says.
Ealing Council says: “Where families do not have their own cot, they can request one directly from their accommodation provider, who will supply it. Many families also bring their own cots when they move in.”
The policy of a number of councils is still to provide cots only “on request”, which was the approach taken by Colchester Boroughwide Homes when it rehoused Hailey’s family, Colchester Council confirms.
The council in Essex tells Inside Housing that it considers that it already complied with the February 2024 update to the code at the time of Hailey’s death.
It says: “Cots were available for households using temporary accommodation at the time of the tragic death of Hailey. Where requested, they were supplied.” Its internal review of its approach “confirmed that our practice reflected the guidance”.
Colchester says it is now implementing “best practice” by referring all families with children under the age of 19 and pregnant women to the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service (ECFWS). “This partnership approach ensures that, upon notification, ECFWS will visit all families with children under five years of age who move into temporary accommodation… providing full support and advice,” the council says.
However, Dr Neilson says homelessness services should be checking whether families need cots rather than waiting to be asked. “They have nothing, so when they get to their temporary accommodation, discombobulated, and there is no cot, they just make do and work their way round it,” she explains.
“If you house a family with children, they should all be asked, ‘Do you have a cot?’ If the answer is no, they should get one. This is about understanding that the single most important thing to prevent a child’s death is to give them a cot. It is life-saving.”
More features on babies and children in temporary accommodation
No crib for a bed: the homeless babies at risk from a lack of safe cots
A safe sleeping space is crucial to protect babies’ lives. Yet for families at the sharp end of the housing crisis, this can be impossible. Keith Cooper investigates the tragic consequences, but also a campaign that could require councils to provide cots to families in temporary accommodation for the first time
How many toddlers and babies are living in temporary accommodation in the UK?
The government does not publish data on the numbers of young children in temporary accommodation, despite evidence that it has highly damaging impacts on child development and well-being. This live data dashboard uses Freedom of Information requests to track the numbers of under-fives living in temporary accommodation and B&Bs. Katharine Swindells reports
Invisible children: how poor conditions in temporary accommodation are damaging young lives
The number of children in insecure temporary housing is growing. But the impact this is having on their health, development and life chances still remains largely unknown and unrecorded. Keith Cooper reports
Temporary accommodation is even worse for neurodivergent children, but councils can do better
No one knows how many children in temporary accommodation are neurodivergent and have additional needs, but it is likely to be tens of thousands. Katharine Swindells talks to families who are struggling to cope, and considers whether councils should be taking a different approach
Lessons from a London council that drastically reduced the number of children housed in B&Bs
Inside Housing’s data dashboard shows that Greenwich reduced the number of young children staying in B&Bs by over 90% between September and December 2024. Katharine Swindells speaks to the local authority to find out how it did it
Newly published government figures shed light on the number of households in temporary accommodation for five or more years. Katharine Swindells analyses the data, to show the scale of the not-so-temporary accommodation crisis
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