Scenes from Lost Mothers

With the voices of women with lived experience of prison at its heart, this play will explore the multiple challenges faced by women who spend their pregnancy awaiting the possibility of separation, and those who are compulsorily separated from their babies.

Clean Break and the University of Hertfordshire co-commissioned Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti to write Scenes from Lost Mothers, using Dr Laura Abbott’s research project Lost Mothers as inspiration, as well as speaking to members of Birth Companions’ Lived Experience Team.

Topics explored in the play include maternal separation, health care provision, access to mother and baby units, living conditions, increased risk of mental ill-health, and the consequences of decisions made by professionals run ragged by a system that’s falling apart. Within the scenes, there is a celebration of the vital work of women’s organisations and campaigners. The show is a cry from the heart for change and compassion.

Scenes from Lost Mothers was developed with and is performed by women with experience of the criminal justice system, or at risk of entering it. The play has been designed specifically to be performed at conferences, seminars, training events or educational settings, presenting complex subject matter in a creative and accessible format.