6156 A place to play: the play needs of under-5s living in England’s temporary accommodation

Objectives Children in Temporary Accommodation (TA) are the most vulnerable and forgotten in the UK.¹ The rising cost of living and the housing crisis led to more children growing up in TA² – an environment unfit to meet their developmental needs. Key to healthy cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development of children is play,³ a process that is severely undermined by the TA environment. This study explored the impact of TA on the play needs and experiences of children-under-5 and the role of parents, service providers, and policymakers in meeting these needs. Methods Fifteen semi-structured interviews were carried out with key professional stakeholders ranging from areas of policy, education, health and housing. Three case studies of families living in TA illuminated the lived experiences of children and parents in unstable housing. All data was captured through RREAL sheets, a template that was designed to allow iterative workflow. All data was then analysed using inductive content analysis where material was coded into relevant themes. Results Similar themes were identified in narratives from families and professionals. All participants noted that the external and internal environments of TA lacked sufficient space to allow children to play freely, inhibiting their physical development, gross motor skills, and social skills. Moreover, restrictive TA rules isolated families, heightening parent's sense of shame, guilt, and anxiety, which, in turn, can affect children's mental health. Within housing policy, play is deprioritized, despite the majority of professionals highlighting significance on play for healthy development. Voices and experiences of families in TA are not represented within policy, which prevents informed and meaningful improvements. Conclusion Article 31 of the UNCRC states that play is a child's right.⁴ Despite this, play remains neglected. Play is an essential developmental process for children. TA environments often lack space, are overcrowded, poorly ventilated, and change frequently causing disruptions to children's perceptions of safety and peer relationship continuity, which undermines essential context for play impacting social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Potential political solutions include (i) reprioritising child's play in housing policy through cross-sectoral collaboration, (ii) providing acute solutions to improving everyday experience of families resulting from the systematic housing failure such as retrofitting current TAs with opportunities for indoor and outdoor play, and (iii) long-term restructuring of flawed council housing systems. Interdisciplinary and person-centred approaches must be at the heart of practice and policy changes to ensure that children's needs are considered. References CHAMPIONS Policy Brief: Developing a roadmap to give children experiencing homelessness a better future. 2023. Statutory homelessness in England: July to September 2022. UK Government. 2023. Clark, et al. A future for the world's children? A WHO-UNICEF-Lancet Commission. The Lancet 2020. Article 31 Action Pack Children's Rights and Children's Play: Resources for Action to Implement Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Shier H, Hart R, 1995.