Exclusive: Parents said their children had become withdrawn or hypervigilant because of uncertainty, unsafe environments and removal of support
Neurodivergent children living in temporary accommodation (TA) in England are subjected to conditions that amount to “torture”, and the harm it causes them is “psychologically excruciating” and a form of “child cruelty”, a report has found.
The report by King’s College London through the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for households in temporary accommodation, found that while living in TA was damaging for any child, it had a particularly severe impact on neurodivergent children and those with special education needs and disabilities (Send).
It found that, for neurodivergent children, TA was “relentless and cruel” and that “continuing to house them in such conditions – despite evidence of the damage it causes – can be considered as a form of torture and child cruelty”.
Parents told researchers their neurodivergent children had become withdrawn or hypervigilant because of “chronic uncertainty, restricted space, lack of outdoor access, unsafe environments and the removal of familiar supports”.
