CHAMPIONS: Co-producing recommendations to address the impact of COVID on children in temporary accommodation

CHAMPIONS is a study working across England to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children under 5 living in temporary accommodation (TA) due to experiencing homelessness.

The CHAMPIONS team has expanded and partnered on projects with NGOs working with families across the UK, including Bee Squad, Sound Voice, Graffwerk, Leicester City in the Community and Inspire Youth Zone, Chorley. Resultant collaboration creative creations were chosen to be showcased at the British Science Festival at De Montfort University in September 2022.

Living in temporary accommodation is already linked with causing health problems now and later in life for children, but the disruption of health and other support services due to the pandemic has made this situation worse. Furthermore, COVID guidelines such as self-isolating may be unfeasible for those in TA.

The interdisciplinary CHAMPIONS team is working with families and professionals to co-produce recommendations for health, housing, policy and practice. Their work aims to help children under 5 in TA recover from the pandemic and prepare for future ones.

University College London (UCL)

De Montfort University Leicester (DMU)

Public Arts Health & Us (PAHUS)

The Children’s Society

Royal College of Paediatrics

EKAM Foundation

British Association for Community Child Health

Bee Squad

Sound Voice

Graffwerk

Leicester City in the Community

Inspire Youth Zone, Chorley