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Earlier this month, The Ferret published an investigation into the conditions mothers and babies are living in across Scotland’s temporary and asylum accommodation. Amma contributed to this piece, sharing evidence from our work supporting pregnant women and new mothers in hotels across Glasgow.
The investigation reveals the scale of the problem. Over 2,000 babies and toddlers under two were placed in temporary accommodation in Scotland during 2024 and 2025. UK-wide research found 104 children have died in temporary accommodation since 2019 — 76 of them under the age of one.
The word “hotel” is misleading
For most people, the word hotel suggests comfort, even a degree of luxury. The reality for women and families placed in hotel-type accommodation by the Home Office or the council is entirely different.
The evidence we shared with The Ferret reflects what we see regularly in hotels. Our staff and volunteers have arrived at hotel rooms to find no cot in place for a woman returning from hospital. They have seen cots pushed up against radiators — a known safety risk for newborns. They have recorded bedroom temperatures running ten degrees above the safe sleeping limit, even with a fan in use. They have supported mothers who went hungry because their baby’s feeding and napping schedule meant missing set mealtimes. And they have heard from families who are struggling to eat food that is neither culturally appropriate nor suitable for weaning babies.
Scotland’s Children and Young People’s Commissioner has been clear: hotel-type accommodation should only ever be a last resort, for the shortest time possible. But we often support women who are living in hotels for extended periods of time — and the cumulative impact on their health and wellbeing is profound.
A system that prevents mothers from meeting their children’s needs
Every mother we work with wants to provide for her child. Every mother wants to give her baby a safe and secure start in life. That instinct is universal — it doesn’t depend on where someone was born, or what their immigration status is.
Women recovering from birth and caring for newborns deserve conditions that support their health and wellbeing. But this is a system that withholds basic necessities and actively prevents mothers from meeting their children’s needs themselves.
The Home Office and Mears need to act urgently to address these failings. Every child, regardless of background or immigration status, deserves better.