Parental health in the context of public family care proceedings

This scoping review explores what is known about the health needs of birth parents in the context of care proceedings, and the interventions implemented to support these health needs. The review finds that parents who have children subject to care proceedings have complex health needs that pre-date children's social care involvement; and that health issues are exacerbated by child removal, triggering deteriorations in mental health, poor antenatal health for subsequent pregnancies, and avoidable mortality.  

The authors highlight the need for targeted and timely intervention for parents to improve whole-family outcomes. They also highlight the benefits of models the use relationship-based, trauma-informed, multidisciplinary, family-focused, and long-term approaches.

By Claire Grant, Jessica Radley, Georgia Philip, Rebecca Lacey, Ruth Blackburn, Claire Powell, and Jenny Woodman