Temporary accommodation for children under 2 and cot access
Case reference FOI2024/02070
Received 10 December 2024
Published 13 January 2025
Request
I'd like to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act, please.
According to two clauses added to the “Homelessness code of guidance for local authorities” by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (under its old name of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) in February 2024, "accommodation will not be suitable for a household with children under the age of 2 if there is not adequate space for a cot for each child aged under 2", and "where households with babies and young children under 2 do not have access to a cot when placed in temporary accommodation, housing authorities should consider what support is available for the provision of a cot."
With this in mind, please tell me:
How many temporary accommodation is the council using as of today’s date to accommodate households with at least one child under the age of two?
Of these units, as of today’s date:
How many have been assessed as having adequate space for a cot?
How many have been assessed as NOT having adequate space for a cot?
How many have not been assessed for whether or not there is space for a cot?
How many families with children aged under two at the time of placement have been placed in temporary accommodation since February 2024?
Of these, how many families did not have their own cots and what provisions was the council able to make for them? (This information can be supplied as totals — for instance, X number of households had a cot provided, Y number of households were given guidance on how to obtain a cot, etc.)
Response
I'd like to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act, please.
According to two clauses added to the “Homelessness code of guidance for local authorities” by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (under its old name of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) in February 2024, "accommodation will not be suitable for a household with children under the age of 2 if there is not adequate space for a cot for each child aged under 2", and "where households with babies and young children under 2 do not have access to a cot when placed in temporary accommodation, housing authorities should consider what support is available for the provision of a cot."
With this in mind, please tell me:
How many temporary accommodation is the council using as of today’s date to accommodate households with at least one child under the age of two?
Answer: The Service Area have advised as of 09/01/25 the Council is using 14 units of temporary accommodation to accommodate households with at least one child aged under 2 years of age.
Of these units, as of today’s date:
How many have been assessed as having adequate space for a cot?
Answer: The Service Area have advised as of 09/01/25 the number of self-contained units that have adequate space for a cot is 75.
This number does not include rooms in hotels and B&Bs. The suitability of a room in a hotel/B&B for a cot is checked with the hotel/B&B provider at the time the enquiry about a possible booking is made. The Council does not collate records on the suitability of room sizes in hotel/B&Bs.
How many have been assessed as NOT having adequate space for a cot?
Answer: The Service Area have advised as of 09/01/25 the number is 0. Please see the above response.
How many have not been assessed for whether or not there is space for a cot?
Answer: Please see the 2 above responses.
How many families with children aged under two at the time of placement have been placed in temporary accommodation since February 2024?
Answer: The Service Area have advised during the period 01/02/24 – 09/01/25 the Council accommodated 74 households with one or more children aged under 2 years old.
Of these, how many families did not have their own cots and what provisions was the council able to make for them? (This information can be supplied as totals — for instance, X number of households had a cot provided, Y number of households were given guidance on how to obtain a cot, etc.)
Answer: This information is not held. The Service Area have advised we do not collate data with regard to this issue and therefore cannot be reported on.
Documents
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