KAREN BROADHURST, Senior Lecturer in Socio-Legal Studies, University of Manchester
CLAIRE MASON, Research Associate, University of Manchester
See also:
In June 2014, members of
our research group published findings concerning the scale and pattern of
recurrent care proceedings in
England
(Broadhurst et al, August [2014] Fam Law 1073). Having established that a
sizeable population of birth mothers lose multiple infants and children to the
care system in successive public law proceedings, this then begs the question
of whether mothers caught in this cycle, can be helped to change? In this short
article we draw on rich autobiographical material drawn from in-depth
interviews with 26 birth mothers, who had all experienced repeat removal of
infants and children on account of child protection concerns. Our particular
interest is in the accounts from 11/26 women who succeeded in turning around
their lives, despite a history of multiple and enduring adversities. At the
time of interview, all 11 mothers had a child full-time resident in their care,
but their history was of repeat losses of children to public care and adoption.
Although the observations we document in this paper are drawn from a pilot
study conducted in one local authority area, small-scale exploratory studies
are invaluable in opening up avenues for
further systematic enquiry.
Unexpected turning
points challenge the notion that child and adolescent adversities have immutable
long-term effects. All 26 women in our sample had experienced multiple
adversities that extended deep into their own childhoods, yet for a proportion
of the group, partly by chance and partly by design – changes in immediate personal
circumstances afforded the opportunity for change. As we describe in this
article, intrinsic maternal characteristics also played a key part in
determining whether change was or was not possible. It was noteworthy that
common among the 11 women who recovered their parenting capacity was a marked
resilience in the face of hugely difficult life experiences, coupled with
sustained motivation to engage with professional help. Over time and given improved
personal relationships, mothers were able to develop more adaptive responses to
life stresses. From mothers’ self report accounts of change, their commitment
and sense of enduring connection to their children in care [or adopted] and
desire to parent a subsequent infant were major motivational drivers.
Initial observations from
this pilot study resonate with a broader literature, which suggests that
resilient functioning can be nurtured later in the life cycle, rather than
simply in childhood/adolescence. If resilience
is a normal, human adaptational mechanism, then great clarity is needed about
how we foster resilience in women who demonstrate motivation for change,
despite a history of removal of infants and children. Removing barriers that
stand in the way of access to psychological therapies is critical in this
respect. It is important to underscore that assessments undertaken during legal
proceedings capture a snapshot of women’s functioning, but this can change over
the life course where women are able to access skilled help.
The full version of this will appear in the November 2014 issue of Family Law.
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