Every one of the six women clutching their bumps at this specialist prenatal parenting session has had a child removed into care – one has lost three – and they all know that the same thing could happen again, unless they co-operate with this pioneering scheme, which is making parenting professionals across the UK sit up and take notice.
At Little Hulton Children’s Centre in Salford, Bolton community midwife Wendy Warrington and her Salford parenting practitioner colleague Elly Siddall are delivering Strengthening Families (SF). This multi-disciplinary approach has proved that removal of children into care is not inevitable for these women, and that they can go on to make good mothers, with the right education and support.
It is hard to believe as you watch 20-year-old Natasha, angrily contesting that smoking cannabis might harm her baby despite the evidence on a video she’s just watched about the effects of drugs, alcohol and smoking. «I just don’t believe it – I think it is harmless,» she says. She is in denial that her drug habit is the reason her daughter Laura is in care, (as she was herself), and she hates social workers.
«I can’t make that choice for you,» says Siddall, standing her ground. «But if that choice comes back and bites you on the bum, then you have had the information.»
Natasha has turned up to SF because she wants to keep this baby and the seven-week scheme covering all aspects of parental responsibility, health, social security system and what she needs to do to keep her child, is her only hope.
SF’s results so far are on her side. Of the 22 women who have been through the scheme since it began in April 2012, only five have had their children taken into care compared with the 30 children this cohort had previously had removed. In 17 cases the child remained at home with parents following SF intervention – eight of these with no need for anysocial care involvement. Of the 68 referrals to the project, only 11% did not engage.
The health benefits are also surprising, 14 mothers cut down on smoking with two quitting completely. Others received support for domestic abuse or treatment for mental heath issues or for drug or alcohol misuse. Not one baby in the scheme has required any specialist neonatal support at birth.
So what is the secret of its effectiveness in an area of high social and economic deprivation? The scheme was set up as part of Salford city council’s early intervention and prevention initiatives to cut down on the number of children going into care, prevent mothers getting into a cycle of repeatedly removed pregnancies, and to improve outcomes for the children.
Children in care cost the taxpayer an average of £2,500 per child per week – more than four times what it would cost to send them to a top UK public school. There are 68,110 looked-after children in England – an increase of 12% on 2009.
The key, for Warrington and Siddall, was to intervene before mothers reached 20 weeks gestation. «By then, the damage is done,» says Warrington. «The earlier we do it the longer we have to turn things round.»
That meant persuading the local authority to change its referral system, so that midwives and other professionals spotting warning signs could refer them into social services early. Once attending SF, they can be supported in group and individual settings. This will continue until the children are five, when SF will be evaluated.
The deftness of Siddall and Warrington’s switch from «softly-softly» to «between the eyes» with this volatile group is inspiring. «We’re not aiming at perfection – what parent is?» says Warrington, who is on secondment from Royal Bolton hospital. «All we want is for each mum to be good enough.»
That might require as little as underlining the importance of turning up to a 20-week scan, as not doing so can be regarded by social services as parental neglect. Or it could be support in cutting ties with a previous partner who has sexually abused a child now in care.
A prime example of SF in action is Maggie. The 38-year-old «graduate» of the initiative cuddles her beaming five-month-old Lucy, who she was convinced she would lose. She had already had five children removed following a mental breakdown and spiral into drink, crime and drugs, when she found herself pregnant again.
«I was the world’s worst mum,» says Maggie, who still receives parenting and mental health support. She adds: «Without SF I would have just handed Lucy over, because it is what I expected. But this scheme showed me a different way. I know I am a good mum now, because I care about my child.»
For the director of Salford’s children’s services, Nick Page, SF provides vital clues about the determinants of success in working with the most deprived families. He and the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities have plans to roll it out across the area.
Page says: «By being rigorous about what works we will be able to drill down to causes and start to prevent the development of complex dependency of some families.»
• Mothers’ names have been changed to protect their identities
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