Margaret Mullane MP Welcomes New Child Poverty Strategy.

This week Margaret Mullane, the Member of Parliament for Dagenham and Rainham, has welcomed the announcement that the SAFE Protocol has been included in the government’s Child Poverty Strategy. The SAFE campaign, launched by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Households in Temporary Accommodation, aims to increase collaboration between local authorities and their support services, when a homeless household is placed in temporary accommodation.

As a member of the APPG, Margaret Mullane commented:“Back in February I wrote to both Barking and Dagenham and Havering Council, and lobbied the government at a national level, regarding proposals for a statutory duty to notify services such as GPs and schools when a family is placed in Temporary Accommodation. 

“I am so pleased to see that the government has taken on board the work of the APPG and implemented this, among other measures, to ensure that homeless households receive a continuity of support, and that children’s health and education is better catered for if their family becomes homelessness.”

The Child Poverty Strategy also commits to supporting households in temporary accommodation through ending the practice of placing mothers with newborns in B&Bs, as well as introducing a clinical code for children in temporary accommodation to improve data on accidents and admissions. 

Additionally, the strategy commits to improving the quality and suitability of placements for children, including action to prevent poor out-of-area placement practice. Finally, the strategy also commits to identifying and reducing the number of school days lost for children in temporary accommodation, supporting local authorities, trusts and schools to record status consistently and provide targeted support to children.

Margaret added: “Housing is everything, it provides the stability and confidence families need to grow and succeed. That is why, whilst I would rather see an end to temporary accommodation, I welcome the changes in the Child Poverty Strategy which will raise the standard of living when families find themselves homeless and in need of support.”

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