Understanding the impact of children’s social care involvement on women’s health and wellbeing

Tens of thousands of women have contact with the children’s social care system during pregnancy and early motherhood each year, and we know that there are high levels of pre-existing trauma, mental ill-health, domestic abuse and substance use among this group of women.

Yet, their mental and physical health and wellbeing needs are largely invisible in health and social care policy and guidance - and so routinely go unmet.

In recent work done within the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance Maternity Consortium, women with experience of children’s social care assessment spoke of the negative impact this had had on their antenatal and postnatal care.

This follow-up project, led by Birth Companions, sought to explore these themes further, focusing in depth on understanding women’s lived experiences of children’s social care involvement during pregnancy and the first two years of their child’s life - the 1001 critical days - and the impact this had on their mental and physical health and wellbeing. 

Our project aimed to amplify the voices of women who experience significant health inequalities linked to complex social factors and high levels of trauma, stigma and discrimination; and to enable some of those women to shape national and local policymaking and delivery.