Birth Companions welcomes the PPO's landmark inquiry into the use of restraints during pregnancy and birth, but warns it risks failing the very women it is meant to protect.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has now publicly launched its long-awaited national investigation into the use of restraints on women during pregnancy and birth.
Birth Companions welcomes this investigation, and we are pleased that our calls alongside Bhatt Murphy Solicitors have resulted in some improvements to the terms of reference – including a commitment to seeking direct accounts from victims, and specific focus on the potentially disproportionate use of restraints on Black women and women from other groups who experience racism.
However, we must be honest about what is being asked of women.
Birth Companions and Bhatt Murphy Solicitors have serious and ongoing concerns about the absence of any funding for legal representation for victims of this practice, and the lack of structured support or outreach to help women engage with a complex legal process. Women are being asked to relive potentially traumatic experiences with no facilitation or support, and no independent legal advice – in stark contrast to the Ministry of Justice and all private contractors involved, whose legal representation will be publicly funded.
We maintain that this investigation falls short, in multiple ways, of the requirements of an effective Article 3 investigation to fully explore the use of restraints and the state’s duty to avoid inflicting inhuman or degrading treatment, and we maintain that the prison service should be doing far more to identify and proactively reach out to women who may have been affected.
We at Birth Companions will support women we work with who wish to contribute their experiences, and we will share information about the investigation as widely as we can, while continuing to work with Bhatt Murphy and with the PPO to push for improvements to the scope and conduct of the investigation.
We stand alongside the women and their legal representatives who have shown extraordinary courage and commitment in bringing this issue to light, and we will use whatever findings emerge to continue our work to drive lasting, meaningful change for pregnant women and mothers impacted by the criminal justice system.
Women who were restrained while pregnant during hospital visits between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2025 can submit evidence to the PPO via this online form until 5 June 2026. Further information can be requested by emailing pporestraintsinvestigation@ppo.gov.uk.
For queries relating to anything mentioned in this news story, please get in touch.
