In a heartbreaking exposé, a leading children’s charity has revealed an alarming rise in the number of newborn babies being taken away from their mothers within mere days of birth in England. Nearly 3,000 infants were subjected to care proceedings in 2022-23, marking a staggering 20% increase compared to a decade ago. As vulnerable women are forced to defend their parental rights from hospital beds, often with less than a day’s notice, the inhumane nature of the current child welfare system has come under intense scrutiny.
Mothers Traumatized by Sudden Removal of Newborns
For many new mothers, the joy of bringing a child into the world is swiftly replaced by terror and despair as they face the prospect of losing their baby to the care system. Ella*, who gave birth in a London hospital last week, found herself in court via laptop just days later, challenging an emergency order from the council to take her daughter into care. “I’m not eating properly. I can’t sleep because I’m terrified. I just want to go home with my baby,” she confided to the Observer, adding, “I don’t feel they are giving me a chance.”
Ella’s story is not unique. The Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (NFJO) has found that 80% of mothers whose newborns were subject to care proceedings in England and Wales received a mere seven days or less notice of the court hearing to remove their baby in 2022-23. Shockingly, nearly 20% were served notice of a hearing scheduled for that same day, leaving them little to no time to prepare a defense.
Lack of Early Intervention and Support
Experts argue that many of these heart-wrenching separations could be avoided with earlier intervention and better support from overstretched and underfunded services. Professor Karen Broadhurst of Lancaster University noted, “In the north-east, it isn’t uncommon for councils to issue proceedings where the mum has to turn up physically at the court straight after giving birth.” She recounted stories of mothers navigating public transport with a drip in their arm after a cesarean section, desperately trying to reach the courthouse.
We are expecting parents to come to court to be their best selves, when they have just left their baby – with immense fear that someone will take the baby away while they are gone.
Legal guardian interviewed by Prof. Broadhurst
Mothers Left Traumatized and Unsupported
The impact on mothers who have their babies taken away is devastating and long-lasting. Lisa Harker, director of the NFJO, shared, “We have had excruciating testimony from mums who gave birth and were sent home to a house full of baby things alone.” She emphasized the lack of support for these traumatized women, stating, “This happens and everyone collectively looks away. There is a process around looking after you if your child is stillborn. But nothing exists for mothers who lose their baby in this way.”
Urgent Call for Reform
As the number of newborns taken into care continues to rise, there is a growing consensus among professionals that the current system is inhumane and in desperate need of reform. Midwives, solicitors, barristers, and judges have all expressed their concerns about the traumatic impact on mothers and the lack of due process.
The Department for Education has stated its commitment to helping families stay together wherever safe to do so and is currently reforming the system to focus on earlier intervention and family consultation. However, for the thousands of mothers who have already had their babies taken away, the scars of this traumatic separation may never heal.
As the nation grapples with this heartbreaking issue, urgent action is needed to ensure that vulnerable mothers receive the support they need and that newborns are only removed from their families as an absolute last resort. The stories of women like Ella serve as a poignant reminder that behind every statistic lies a mother’s shattered dream and a child’s uncertain future.
