What is it about?
The researchers found that living in temporary accommodation made parenting much harder. Families often had limited space, little privacy, poor or unsuitable housing conditions, financial pressures and difficulty accessing services and support. COVID-19 restrictions made these problems worse because parents had fewer opportunities to leave the accommodation, see family and friends, or access community services.
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Why is it important?
Our team has worked together for numerous years and our findings confirm that difficulties with parenting in temporary accommodation should not be viewed as a failure of parents. Rather, parents were attempting to care for their children in circumstances where the housing and wider resources available to them were inadequate. A major finding was the importance of social and professional support. Family, friends, health professionals, community organisations and other services could provide practical and emotional help. During the pandemic, however, many of these supports became harder to access, leaving some parents feeling isolated, stressed and overwhelmed.
Perspectives
This passionate team explore families living in temporary accommodation doing their best to raise young children, but poor housing, lack of space, financial difficulties, isolation and reduced access to services during COVID-19 made parenting much more difficult. The study therefore suggests that supporting young children requires more than focusing on parents' parenting skills. Families also need safe and suitable housing, financial security, social connections and accessible health and community services.
Associate Professor Yvonne Karen Parry
Flinders University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Parenting capacity and resources while living in temporary accommodation in England during the COVID-19 pandemic: a CHAMPIONS project qualitative investigation of raising children under 5 in resource-limited settings, BMJ Open, November 2025, BMJ,
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-099328.
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