The APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group) for Ending Homelessness has been called to discuss the experiences of children facing all forms of homelessness across the UK on Tuesday 8th June, 11.00-12.00 on Zoom.

In 2019, a report by Shelter calculated that 135,000 children were living in temporary accommodation across Britain. Many more live in Home Office accommodation, or in ‘hidden homeless’ situations such as sofa surfing.

Research has found that children in temporary accommodation for over a year are three times more likely to experience mental health problems than their housed peers, and are at far greater risk of infection, and accidents and poor health compared to children who are not homeless. They are also at risk of developmental delay, and many experts also believe that homelessness in itself represents an Adverse Childhood Experience.

This meeting aims to throw a light on the issue of these long reaching negative child health outcomes, the need for robust notification of homeless families to health care services, and the need for quality standards for temporary accommodation.

Alongside speeches from the Co-Chairs of the APPG for Ending Homelessness, Bob Blackman MP and Neil Coyle MP, there will be contributions from:

• Professor Monica Lakhanpaul, Professor of Integrated Community Child Health and Consultant Paediatrician, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health

• Maxine Jenkins, Specialist Health Visitor and Queen’s Nurse who will be representing Health Visitors working with homeless families around the UK

• Dr Sarah Cockman, Outreach Paediatrician for Homeless Families, Shared Health Foundation

• Personal experiences will be presented from those with recent lived experience, supported by the Magpie Project and UCL.

The meeting preparation has been supported by the Queen’s Nursing Institute, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, the Shared Health Foundation, the Magpie Project, Medact, Pathway, the Institute of Health Visiting, the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association, the Royal College of Nursing, the London Network of Nurses and Midwives Homelessness Group and the Collaborative Centre for Inclusion Health.

If you would like to attend this meeting, please contact Emily Batchelor: emily.batchelor@crisis.org.uk .