A PROJECT to make sure every child under the age of five has a safe space to sleep is set to be introduced.
The ‘Beds For Babies’ initiative – which is being delivered by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) – has seen more than £2m invested to provide cots, beds, bedding bundles and mattresses in Sheffield, Doncaster and Rotherham since June.
“Deliveries in Barnsley are expected to go live within the next couple of months,” a progress report said.
“Barnsley does not currently have a local baby bank who can be used to store items and organise referrals and so extra time has been needed to not only establish the storage and holding space, but also create and develop the referral pathway.”
According to leaders overseeing the roll-out, Barnsley will be next in line and it will be delivered from Goldthorpe initially, after one in ten babies who left hospital would encounter so-called ‘bed poverty’.
“This programme aims to tackle health inequalities children face as a result of bed poverty,” the report added.
“It will ensure children are no longer living in bed poverty, for example sleeping in a mouldy or broken bed, inappropriate bed sharing or sleeping in an inappropriately-sized bed.”
