Play gives honest insight into lives of children in temporary accommodation

The stage ready for the Milestones performance A team of researchers from the UCL-led CHAMPIONS project teamed up with De Montfort University and Response Ability Theatre to transform interviews from their study into a topical theatre performance. CHAMPIONS launched in 2020 and is a national project, funded by the ESRC, that looks at the impact of COVID-19 and living through lockdown on children under five who are in temporary accommodation due to experiencing homelessness. The Milestones play was performed on Monday (26 September) and gave the audience an honest insight into the lives of these families, by allowing parents to anonymously voice their experiences. The project is led by Professor Monica Lakhanpaul (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health) and Co-Investigator, Associate Professor Nadia Svirydzenka (De Montfort University). The characters in the performance were fictionalised but much of the text used in the performance was verbatim from interviews with families. Professor Lakhanpaul said: "Under the cover of anonymity, these mums and dads speak without fear about the barriers being put in their way as they try to give their kids the best possible start in life.