New briefing reveals brutal impact of child removal on women in Greater Manchester

A groundbreaking new briefing paper published today (10 July 2024) by Agenda Alliance exposes the devastating impacts of care proceedings for mothers, and puts forward crucial recommendations for change in Greater Manchester.

Heart-breaking testimony from women who have had children removed from their care reveals high levels of stigmatisation and inadequate support, with one woman describing the experience as "running you into the ground.”

Across England, approximately 83,840 children were looked after in March 2023. Care proceedings are frequently lengthy, often involving months, if not years of assessments by social workers, police officers, other professionals and family members.

Many mothers going through this complex process are also experiencing abuse, homelessness, mental health needs, and issues with substance misuse. Yet, the women say, apart from legal representation in family courts, they are left to navigate it alone, unsupported with the emotional impact and their many connected problems.

Agenda Alliance was commissioned by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to examine issues surrounding women and multiple unmet needs in the region and conduct a deep dive on one area where change could have a significant impact for this group of women. The initial exploratory process identified child removal as a key theme.

The new study, “We Need Support” reflects GMCA’s commitment to tackling multiple disadvantage for women and girls in a joined-up way across public services.

It gives a rare insight into the traumatic experiences of a group of women who are typically "unheard and unseen".

Agenda Alliance heard from nine women who had a child removed or were going through care proceedings and several frontline worker focus groups.

The study found:

Women who are at risk of their children being taken into care have multiple different services involved in their lives, without effective channels of communication to promote a joined up and safe approach for the whole family.

The women talked of being reluctant to disclose abuse to professionals for fear of their children being removed.

A support worker with first-hand experience of child removal said, ‘For me, I was frightened of the authorities, that they would take away my children if I reported anything.’

One assessment to judge parenting skills is a Child Protection Conference (where parenting concerns are raised). Women called this assessment deeply alienating, cruel, and stigmatizing. Mothers spoken to for this briefing told of a score card rating system for their parenting:

Alex said, “They rate you in the meeting, they hold a piece of paper up with a number between 0-10 on it to rate you as a Mum. 0 is the worst, 10 is the best. Your family are there too and also rate you, my family rated me an 8 and the social worker gave me a 3.”

Women also said they found the family courts confusing and alienating spaces, where the language used was inaccessible; women said they often did not understand what was happening and left in the dark about steps they could take to regain care of their children.

Most mothers in Greater Manchester who experienced child removal had pre-existing housing instability due to domestic abuse, substance misuse or mental health issues.

Housing system rules mean that after a child was taken from their care, they were unable to access social housing for families. They reported falling into long-term housing insecurity, creating a vicious cycle and making it less likely they could regain care of their children.

Dion told Agenda Alliance: “I’ve just been through a 32-week assessment to get my daughter back, which I failed because I don’t have a house. Now I have to go through the whole 32-week process again.”

In Greater Manchester, a woman told of racist stereotyping by public service workers that assumed and said she smoked weed. She had “never smoked weed in her life”. Frontline workers also reported that a Black woman’s understandable grief at a child being taken into care was often perceived as “aggressive”.

Racist stereotypes can impact on professional perceptions of whether mothers are in a position to keep children in their care or have them returned.

The root causes of children being taken into care nationally were not the primary focus of this briefing, however its findings demonstrate the urgent need to address the underlying social needs of disadvantaged women and families across the country.

• Investment in specialist wraparound support for women and girls across the 10 Manchester boroughs to address the root drivers of child removal.
• Immediate housing for women who have had a child removed, so they can offer a secure home for their children and have a fighting chance to return to parenting their child safely.
• Dedicated and funded Support Advocates, who can work 1:1 alongside mothers as they navigate care proceedings.
• Training for all staff working with women experiencing child removal, to challenge bias and stigmatisation.

Candice* took part in the study. Her four children were taken from her in 2016:

“The process was brutal. It was eight months of meetings, care conferences and courts. I was deemed a bad mother by social services right from the start, it felt like a set-up. No-one looks out for you- social workers, police- it feels like everyone’s coming at you. And afterwards, I had no idea how I could work to get my kids back.

Going through the nightmare of care proceedings can end up running you into the ground. To reduce the trauma every mum needs an advocate, as a guide, someone who looks out for you.

I’ve managed to rebuild my life by going to women’s groups, volunteering at an outreach centre, and have since become a crisis and homelessness worker, running a women’s group of my own. It’s taken 8 years, but I’m now in a really positive place, with regular contact with all of my children - these community services were what helped me get here.”

Indy Cross, CEO of Agenda Alliance:

“When a child is removed from their parents it’s like an earthquake in a family. At Agenda Alliance we aim to provide a voice for overlooked women, including those who’ve been judged “bad mothers”. Losing a child to care has a harrowing impact on mothers whose voices and experiences are too rarely heard. We know from this work in Manchester and our wider work with women affected that they feel forever the trauma and shame.

“Yet, most mothers whose children are removed by courts are themselves victims of abuse by a male partner.

“We applaud Greater Manchester Combined Authority for taking this bold step in understanding and thinking about better responses to complex family situations. We look forward to Greater Manchester leading the way in helping to setting families and mothers up for success with proper support to live in an abuse-free family, in a stable home."

Lilly Lewis-Bell, Agenda Alliance Trustee, briefing co-chair:

“The stigma and trauma of having a child taken from your care as a mother is beyond words. The mothers who bravely broke their silence to take part in this study deserve utmost respect. Agenda Alliance’s research shows that women in Greater Manchester who’ve been through the process feel unheard and unseen, left out of all decision making.

“The reality is shocking, a tough read. Now the changes recommended here must happen to end the terrible additional trauma too many women face when they are at risk of losing a child to care.”

Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for policing, crime, criminal justice and fire, said:

“As this briefing shows, women who have their children taken into care are often labelled and discriminated against and the impact on their children’s lives unseen.

“Our support through the Gender-Based Violence Strategy shows our continued commitment to supporting women and girls facing multiple disadvantage. We welcome the calls to encourage our services to work together more closely, and to roll out the different approach taken by Family Drug and Alcohol Courts across our city-region.

“By implementing the findings from this briefing, we hope that Greater Manchester can become somewhere that mothers facing this trauma, and their children, are treated with compassion and can access the support they need.”