FOI request (FOIR-727010762)

Disabled children living in temporary accommodation

Requested Sun 29 June 2025
Responded Wed 09 July 2025

Background and Public Interest

This request forms part of our comprehensive national research examining the intersection of disability, homelessness, and child poverty across England. The information will be used to:

- Inform evidence-based policy recommendations to government.

- Support our advocacy work for vulnerable children.

- Contribute to public discourse on housing and disability policy.

- Guide our charitable support services and resource allocation.

We believe this research serves a clear public interest in understanding and addressing inequalities faced by some of society's most vulnerable children.

Information Requested

For your local authority area, please provide the following information regarding children (aged 0-18) currently living in temporary accommodation who have been identified as disabled:

Primary Data Request:

1. Total number of disabled children currently in temporary accommodation (or as of the most recent date for which data is available - please specify the date).

Breakdown Information (if held):

2. Disability categories - breakdown by type of disability using your authority's recording system (for example, physical disability, learning disability, autism spectrum conditions, sensory impairments, mental health conditions, multiple disabilities).

3. Demographics:

- Age ranges (for example, 0-5, 6-11, 12-17 years)

- Gender breakdown

4. Accommodation details (if recorded):

- Types of temporary accommodation (for example, bed and breakfast, hostels, temporary housing units)

- Average length of stay in temporary accommodation

Historical Data:

5. Annual figures for the past 10 years (2014-2024) showing trends in numbers of disabled children in temporary accommodation, or for whatever period records are available.

Format and Clarifications

- Preferred format:

Excel spreadsheet or CSV file, with PDF acceptable if other formats unavailable

- Disability definition: Please use whatever definition/criteria your authority uses to identify disabled children (for example, EHCP, disability register, social care assessments)

- Data currency: Please specify the date to which the current figures relate

- Nil returns: If no data is held in any category, please confirm this explicitly

We understand some requested information may not be held or may be exempt under FOI provisions. Please provide whatever information is available and specify if any elements cannot be provided, with reasons.

If this request requires clarification, exceeds cost limits, or if you need to discuss scope refinement, please contact me within 5 working days to discuss how we might proceed.

---

Response

1. 100 (as at 03/07/2025)

2.

History of Mental Health problems = 21

Learning disability = 64

Physical ill health and disability = 40

3.

0-5: 17x male, 4x female

6-11: 27x male, 12x female

12-17: 23x male, 17x female

4. Number of children in Q1 above are accommodated in the following types of accommodation:

32x Accommodation within own stock

65x Other nightly paid, privately managed accommodation (may also be referred to as Annexes)

3x Private sector accommodation leased by your authority.

The average time they have been in temporary accommodation is 399 days.

5. Due to implementation of new IT system during 2018, we are unable to provide figures prior to this.

Number of children in temporary accommodation with history of mental health problems, learning disability, physical ill health and disability:

01/04/2019 = 14

01/04/2020 = 18

01/04/2021 = 12

01/04/2022 = 27

01/04/2023 = 57

01/04/2024 = 89

01/04/2025 = 101