THE health and wellbeing of hundreds of babies and toddlers is at risk in temporary accommodation, it is claimed, due to unsafe sleeping conditions, overcrowding and a lack of basic necessities, while mothers struggle with food poverty and mental stress.
Figures shared with The Ferret show that more than 2000 babies and toddlers less than two years old were placed in temporary accommodation in Scotland during 2024 and 2025, despite concerns this puts them at higher risk of health complications or even death.
UK-wide research released earlier this year found 104 children have died in temporary accommodation since 2019, and 76 were under the age of one, according to the National Child Mortality Database.
The statistics, compiled by the all-party parliamentary group for households in temporary accommodation, also found there were 64 stillbirths and 27 newborn deaths involving mothers living in temporary accommodation in the UK in 2024. Sudden infant death syndrome (Sids), previously known as cot death, is the most common cause of death among homeless children.
Scottish figures are not available. But experts fear the housing crisis here is pushing families into conditions that endanger their lives.
Freedom of Information requests reveal that at least seven local authorities do not provide cots for babies and toddlers as standard, including Aberdeen City, Inverclyde, South Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Renfrewshire, Shetland and Orkney councils.
This has impacted at least 150 babies over a two-year period. One expert claimed these councils were breaching legal duties. At least 10 other local authorities said they would only provide cots or travel cots on request.
Councils said they were committed to ensuring safe sleeping guidance was followed and they would work with families to meet their needs. But charities said families did not always know they could request cots.
One asylum seeker support organisation shared evidence of mothers and babies in Home Office accommodation experiencing similar issues. They also raised concerns that some were housed in temperatures above those recommended for safe sleeping in bedrooms. Mears, the company which provides accommodation for asylum seeking mothers and babies in Glasgow, told The Ferret it had not breached any rules.
Only one local authority out of 32 said they provided safer sleeping advice to families in their accommodation, while 31 said they did not. Most did not have a policy on the amount of space required to house a family with a baby or toddler.
The NHS advises that the safest place for a baby to sleep for the first six months is in a cot, lying on their back, in the same room as a parent or guardian. If parents are co-sleeping with their baby, it advises making sure the baby cannot fall out of bed or become trapped between the mattress and wall.
Parents should ensure other children are not in the bed at the same time. Research shows this reduces the risk of Sids.
Satwat Rehman, chief executive of One Parent Families Scotland, said too many families were forced to raise babies and young children in temporary accommodation “that is overcrowded, unsuitable and, in some cases, unsafe”.
“Through our services, we hear from single parents living in accommodation that lacks adequate space and safe sleeping arrangements for infants,” she said. “Many are expected to source essential equipment themselves, despite spending extended periods in temporary accommodation.”
In Dundee, the charity is supporting a parent in a one-bedroom flat so small there is no room for a cot, meaning the mother and her son are currently co-sleeping. The baby was born severely prematurely and has retinal damage in one eye, which increases the risk associated with co-sleeping, including Sids.
In Edinburgh, it previously supported families who were placed in hotels without cots, or which it said were not safe for young babies and children. They included a mother with four children, including an 18-month-old, who had to share two double beds for seven weeks.
Though previous research has focused on the risks associated with temporary homeless accommodation provided by housing authorities, charities said similar issues were present in hotels provided by the Home Office for asylum-seeking families.
Amma Birth Companions, which works with pregnant asylum seekers and new mothers, said some women faced delays on essential items such as cots, fridges to store breast milk and fresh food, and bottle sterilisers, which have not always arrived when they return from hospital.
Due to a lack of space, workers said they had seen some cots pushed up against radiators, a safety risk for very young babies. They also evidenced concerns that temperatures in bedrooms were rising 10 degrees above the recommended limit for safe sleeping, defined by the Lullaby Trust, even when using a fan.
Some mothers went hungry because they missed set mealtimes due to their baby’s feeding and napping schedule, the charity said, and others found it difficult to eat the food provided, which was “not culturally appropriate”.
The food was not suitable for weaning babies either, they said.
“Women recovering from birth and caring for newborns deserve conditions that support their health and wellbeing,” a spokesperson added. They called on all authorities responsible to “act urgently to address these failings”.
Professor Helen Ball, director of Durham University Infancy and Sleep Centre, who has done research with Glasgow families, also found that homeless accommodation often lacked safe infant sleep space or safety measures like toddler gates and heater guards.
“All babies should be provided with a safe place to sleep,” she said. “Local authorities who do not do so are failing in their duty of care towards the wellbeing of homeless infants, in my opinion.”
Gordon Llewellyn-MacRae, assistant director at Shelter Scotland, agreed that temporary homeless accommodation could damage “safety, health and education”.
“Children are suffering lasting consequences including disrupted sleep, respiratory conditions, anxiety, depression, and problems concentrating or engaging at school,”
he said.
Jessica Turtle, founder and director of the Museum of Homelessness in London, which co-ordinates the Dying Homeless project, claimed provision of a cot should be mandatory but was only a first step.
“It is wrong that we don’t know enough about the cause of death to put in further measures to save lives,” she added. “It is also deeply wrong that families are stuck in temporary accommodation that is dangerous.”
She called for bolder government action to make more use of empty homes, adding: “We cannot continue to stand by and watch children die due to homelessness.”
Housing Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville claimed the safety and wellbeing of children was the Scottish Government’s “absolute priority”, adding that ministers will end the use of “unsafe and harmful temporary accommodation” for children.
She said £120 million had been given over two years to local authorities – which have a legal duty to provide homeless accommodation – to enable them to acquire additional properties, including larger homes more suitable for families. She also pointed to £4.9 billion in funding to support the delivery of 36,000 affordable homes.
A spokesperson for Mears said all its accommodation “meets Home Office contractual standards, which include requirements around provision for mothers and babies”. They said that accommodation was subject to inspections, and onsite welfare officers resolved any issues, while a family room with books and toys was provided at its initial accommodation, and food meets NHS-approved standards. The Home Office was asked to comment.
The Ferret contacted all councils named in this piece.
