The Birth Companions Institute responds to new figures, reported today by BBC File on 4 Investigates, showing that one in 118 babies in England is involved in care proceedings.
New figures from Lancaster University and the University of Oxford, reported today by BBC File on 4 Investigates, show that the number of babies involved in care proceedings in England remains persistently high. One in 118 infants is now affected – a 64% rise over the past two decades.
These figures confirm what we know from our services and our research: many babies enter care proceedings because support arrives too late, or not at all. Families who could, with the right help have stayed together, are separated forever.
As Professor Karen Broadhurst told the BBC, most of these cases are not clear-cut. They are "grey area" cases, where families with complex needs might stay safely together with the right support. These numbers are not inevitable.
Support has been stripped back while needs have increased. Spending on early intervention has fallen by 44% in a decade. Too often, we see mothers facing poverty, domestic abuse, poor mental health and insecure housing being met with assessment and scrutiny, and not given the practical and emotional help they need.
More than half of urgent care hearings in 2024–25 involved newborns, with mothers expected to take part in court proceedings within days, or even hours, of giving birth. Short-notice hearings in the days after birth must end. We welcome the forthcoming guidance for judges on this, but courts are only one part of the picture. Change is needed in the way services work with pregnant women and mothers of babies throughout the health, social care, housing and family justice systems.
Relationship-led, trauma-informed support, starting early and continuing whatever the outcome,makes a real difference. Our specialist Izzy Project in London shows this in practice. It offers one-to-one support to pregnant women and mothers of babies up to one year old who are at risk of, or experiencing, separation from their baby. Our coordinators work independently of midwives, social workers and other services, providing practical and emotional support and information to help mothers navigate children's social care, family justice and maternity care. The service was designed by women with experience of involvement with children’s social care alongside more than 40 local professionals.
The support families get, and their chances of staying together, shouldn't depend on where they live. That's why we're leading the development of a National Integrated Care Framework, designed with women who've been in these situations, and with professionals across health, social care, housing, justice and beyond.
The Framework aims to create a more consistent, coordinated and compassionate approach to working with pregnant women and mothers of babies at risk of separation, focused on the first 1001 days. Funded by the KPMG Foundation, it is now being tested in Sheffield, City and Hackney, and Norfolk.
Naomi Delap, CEO of Birth Companions, said:
"Behind every one of these figures is a mother and a baby whose lives have been changed forever. Too many families who, with the right help at the right time, could have stayed together, are instead being separated for good. We know what makes a difference: practical and emotional support; and consistent, trusted relationships that start early and continue whatever the outcome. But services like ours are only available in a few parts of the country. The support a family gets, and their chances of staying together, depend on where they live.That has to change."
To find out more about the National Integrated Care Framework, or to get involved, contact: institute@birthcompanions.org.uk.