Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Written evidence submitted by Shared Health Foundation and Justlife (CWSB144)

Shared Health Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation based in Greater Manchester that aims to alleviate the impacts that living in temporary accommodation has on children and families.

Justlife is a charity based in Manchester and Brighton which focuses on supporting homeless households locally, as well as looking to change national policy on housing and homelessness, to ensure stays in temporary accommodation are as short, safe, and healthy as possible.

As co-secretariats to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Households in Temporary Accommodation, we can provide substantive evidence to the committee that offers local and national perspectives. Our work is grounded in the voices of those with lived experience.

We welcome the extra protections for vulnerable children included in the bill, however, they do not extend far enough. Children living in temporary accommodation face unique challenges to their wellbeing and current safeguarding measures fail to sufficiently protect them. This is despite their vulnerability to falling behind in education, falling out of systems and experiencing serious mental and physical detriment caused by their living environment.

A. Executive summary

A.1. Homeless children face significant disruption as they are likely to be moved far away from their schools and healthcare providers when placed into temporary accommodation.

A.2. Living in temporary accommodation has profound effects on the wellbeing of children, particularly in shared accommodation.

A.3. The wellbeing of homeless children is often missed as they are vulnerable to falling through the cracks between systems.

A.4. The notification system requiring local authorities to notify the school and GPs of families when they are placed into temporary accommodation, will help mitigate these effects by ensuring that homeless children are supported appropriately by these vital services.

B. Disruption to the education and healthcare of homeless children

B.1. Growing numbers of homeless children

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill does not explicitly recognise the disruption caused to the education and health of homeless children. There are 160,000 children stuck in temporary accommodation across England, and this number will continue to increase in the coming years. For many, they will leave one temporary accommodation in the morning to go to school, not knowing where they will be staying at the end of the day. It is, therefore, vital that the Committee recognises that homeless children are a growing, vulnerable group that require support from services connected in this bill.

B.2. Out of area placements

When a family is placed into temporary accommodation, they might be placed outside of the borough they live in. This has become increasingly common in recent years, with some local authorities sending households out of area because of a lack of accommodation within the borough. Members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Households in Temporary Accommodation have reported witnessing families moved from London across the country, sometimes as far north as Manchester. These families are moved away from their support networks as well as essential services that can help to mitigate some of the effects of homelessness facing families. In some cases, only the housing officer that allocated the family the accommodation knows where they are, despite the requirement of the sending authority to notify the receiving local authority of this allocation. The result is a significant population of children and families becoming lost in the system.

B.3. Traumatic experiences

When moved to a new area, the children are either required to register with a new school or must travel long distances to attend their current school. For those children that have to register with a new school, this can significantly disrupt their education as they are not always prioritised for a place when trying to register. Furthermore, it is not feasible for families to pay for travel to and from school. Some families are entitled to free bus travel; however, this is not always clear to them and are difficult to obtain. This means their children are not able to access their education and lateness or missed school days. Children in temporary accommodation are experiencing a life-changing event, and families often become homeless due to issues such as fleeing domestic violence and family breakdown, meaning the level of trauma caused during this time is extensive. School is a stable environment for children experiencing disruption in their home lives and it is vital that education providers can offer support for its most vulnerable children.

Recommendation: The bill should recognise homelessness as a factor that disrupts education and is a reason why some children are not in school or have poor attendance. We recommend that homeless children are afforded similar educational rights to children in corporate parent-ship to ensure the least amount of disruption.

C. The health and educational impacts of living in temporary accommodation for children

C.1. Living in a B&B or hotel and education

In temporary accommodation such as B&Bs, families often share one room, meaning there is no space for play and completing homework. This is detrimental to the physical and emotional development of children and has long-term impacts on their education. Homeless families’ practitioners from Shared Health Foundation have reported delays to school readiness for young children, as well as recognising the detriment to the educational attainment of older children in school, as they are unable to complete their homework undisturbed. Furthermore, families are regularly moved around to different temporary accommodation and may have to travel for longer periods of time, meaning that these children will be exhausted when they get to school and after school when trying to complete homework.

C.2. Health impacts of poor-quality accommodation

The substandard quality of a large proportion of temporary accommodation ensures the causation or exacerbation of health conditions are frequent for homeless children. Disrepair, mould, lack of safe space to play, unsanitary or shared facilities and no kitchen are some of the main causes of accidents and physical illnesses in temporary accommodation that can severely impact the wellbeing of a child [1] . Additionally, as previously addressed, the psychological toll of becoming homeless and living in temporary accommodation for children is extensive. Children soak up the stress their parents may be experiencing, affecting their own mental wellbeing. Furthermore, they may experience additional trauma caused by their living environment, such as in shared accommodation with single homeless adults as they may be subjected to sexual harassment or assault, violence, and substance or alcohol abuse.

Recommendation: The Committee should consider the unavoidable impacts to the wellbeing of children when they are placed into unsuitable temporary accommodation. Children and single adults must not be mixed in shared temporary accommodation.

D. Homeless children fall through the cracks between services

D.1. Healthcare

The lack of access to primary healthcare services has an impact on the educational performance of homeless children. Once a child falls out of one system, they are likely to fall out of others. Families in temporary accommodation may be struck off GP lists because they no longer have a fixed address, have moved out of the area, or they have missed appointments. This increases their likelihood to develop serious health problems, as well as the loss of a source of support, such as safeguarding. Primary healthcare services offer vital support for homeless families, and it is essential that vulnerable children are not able to slip through the cracks when placed into temporary accommodation.

D.2. Education providers

Akin to primary healthcare, schools and educational providers offer important support for children living in temporary accommodation. Because of the chaos of homelessness, it is common for children to be absent from school for large amounts of time. This might be due to illnesses caused by their living environment, as well as days missed due to moving between accommodation. In some cases, this has led to children being off rolled for missing too many days. Not only is this damaging to their education, but it can be detrimental to their wellbeing. This is because children in temporary accommodation may rely on school as a stable environment in which they are supported by staff. Furthermore, teachers act as safeguarding support by identifying behaviour in children that would suggest an external influence is affecting them in school. Teachers in Greater Manchester have reported to Shared Health that if they were made aware of a child’s homelessness status, they could protect them from falling out of education and provide extra support in school for them. It is important for schools to know if a child is in temporary accommodation so they can put in place efforts to ensure the child does not fall out of or behind with their education.

Recommendation: The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill should include the notification system, campaigned for by the APPG for Households in Temporary Accommodation, that requires local authorities to notify schools and GPs when a family is placed into temporary accommodation. This system should be included with Clause 4 in relation to information sharing and consistent identifiers.

E. Notification system

E.1. Local Authorities

The notification system would impose a duty on local authorities when a family is placed into temporary accommodation, to notify GPs and schools of the families’ homelessness status. This data sharing would only be carried out with the family’s consent and would ensure that it is not just the housing officer allocating accommodation that is aware of the family’s homelessness status. The system allows for these services to be able to appropriately support families living in temporary accommodation.

E.2. Guidance for schools and GPs

With this notification, schools and GPs will be provided with guidance on how to best support children and families experiencing homelessness [2] . This guidance will highlight the areas of assistance that these services can offer to families and ensure that children are not excluded from or penalised for absences. Manchester City Council and Shared Health have worked with schools in the area to provide training sessions for the process. Further training sessions for local authorities, schools and GPs can be arranged to ensure this process is carried out effectively.

E.3. Example: Rochdale

The notification system has been introduced in boroughs across Greater Manchester, as well as in Islington, London. Rochdale have fed back on the success of the notification system, reporting that staff have found the process easy to implement and that families have welcomed the support they have received because of it. The system has ensured the securement of repeat prescriptions and appointments, and the ability to remain registered with GPs despite families being moved outside the catchment area. Further successes have included improved school attendance, increasing flexibility with school hours, and better transport to and from school. Children have been offered places at breakfast and afterschool clubs, ensuring that they are not isolated from social activities with peers and assisting with childcare support. The process has ensured that families have received the essential support they require during a traumatic time, to minimise the detriments to their children’s wellbeing.

Acknowledgments

This response has been prepared by the policy teams at Shared Health Foundation and Justlife, with contributions from:

● Sam Pratt, Policy and Communications Lead at Shared Health Foundation

● Isabel Kaner, Policy and Campaigns Officer at Shared Health Foundation

● Morgan Tebbs, Influencing Coordinator at Justlife

January 2025