Better support for ‘repeat removal’ families could reduce number of children in care, report finds
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Targeting support at mothers who have already had one or more children removed from their care can reduce looked-after children figures each year and lead to substantial long-term savings to the UK economy, analysis has found.
Evaluation of a programme, which offers specialist support to families where there have been repeat removals of children, resulted in a reduction of an average of 14 infants entering care per council area each year.
If scaled up England-wide this would see the number of children going into care cut by 2,174 a year.
The evaluation of targeted support being offered to mothers by the charity Pause also found that for every £1 spent there was a saving to the UK economy of £4.50 over four years and £7.61 over 18 years.
It points out that almost half of newborns taken into care are born to mothers who have already experienced children being taken into care.
Over the last ten years more than 1,400 women have completed the charity’s programme across 29 council areas. Its 18-month programme is tailored to each mother’s needs and sets goals for their future to achieve.
One mother who spoke to evaluators said the support brought “positivity” to her life and “helped me climb out of the negative hole I was stuck in”.
Helping mothers to avoid the trauma that can be caused by repeat removals is another benefit of offering such targeted support, adds the evaluation.
Another mother who was supported details how she had two children previously removed from her care, was experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and had been the victim of domestic abuse.
Support she received included help registering with a GP and a community mental health team as well as moving into safe accommodation and establishing consistent contact with her son who had been taken into care.
“This served as a means to help her manage and come to terms with the loss of all her children," states the evaluation.
Pause is calling on the government to provide “coordinated and accessible support” for families where there have been repeat removals through family help workers.
Support should also be targeted at parents whose children have been taken into care “to build firm foundations for the future” so that further children are not removed.
“The women we work with have difficult and often dangerous lives,” said Pause chief executive Jules Hillier.
“Some grew up in care themselves and all have been through care proceedings and had a child removed from their care – one of the most invasive, traumatic interventions a state can make into family life - after which they are completely dropped by services.
“We see women stuck in a terrible cycle of repeated pregnancies that result in a child being removed. More must be done to understand and meet the needs of this group of women.”
