Professor John Devaney, Centenary Chair of Social Work at the University of Edinburgh, says:
“This exploratory study is about more than statistics – it is about the lost lives of mothers in the wake of children’s removal into care. While children sometimes do need to be placed in alternative care, as a society, we should strive to help support mothers, and fathers, to get their life back on track. There is a stigma associated with a child’s removal into care. This should not act as a barrier to parents receiving support and accessing services. Our initial research with colleagues from Pause is hopefully the beginning of both understanding and addressing this phenomenon of early death.”
Since 2013, over 1,700 women have completed the 18-month Pause Programme. Based on Pause’s learning and observational data from the past decade, the paper finds that this group of women are 14 times more likely to die prematurely from a variety of causes, including ill-health, suicide, substance overdose and homicide.
These statistics indicate unmet health and other needs of vulnerable women who often fall through gaps in public services after care proceedings. Jules Hillier, Chief Executive of Pause, says:
“The findings of this paper are devastating, and we are confident that this figure is in fact an underestimate of the actual number of deaths, due to the limitations of the data underpinning the study and relatively small sample size. The women we work with have difficult and sometimes dangerous lives. Many experienced childhood adversity and grew up in care themselves, so are part of an intergenerational cycle. With a new government in place, we are calling on them to take urgent action to support this group of women. Mothers who’ve had children removed from their care must be acknowledged as needing care and support in their own right.”
There is currently no statutory obligation to deliver post-removal support to birth parents, despite being a high priority demographic facing complex disadvantage and often struggling with multiple physical and mental health issues. With a new government in place, now is an important opportunity to ensure the health needs of this group of vulnerable women are considered as a priority, recognising that care proceedings and the removal of children is linked to women being at greater risk of poor health outcomes, including premature death. It should be an alarm bell to services to respond and support appropriately.
