09 Jul, 2025
We welcome the announcement of a rapid national investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England.
The commitment to listening to families and improving care is long overdue, and we support the government’s aim to create safer, more compassionate environments for expectant and new parents.
This is a vital opportunity to ensure that the intersection between maternity care and domestic abuse is properly addressed. Up to 30% of domestic abuse cases begin or escalate during pregnancy [Source: SafeLives], rising to 40% within the first 1001 days of a baby’s life [Source: The For Baby’s Sake Trust]. And yet, just 0.5% of maternity patients are recorded as disclosing domestic abuse [Source: Domestic Abuse Commissioner].
At a time when both parent and baby should be surrounded by care and safety, many are instead at increased risk – and maternity staff are in a unique position to intervene. A strong, trauma-informed and integrated system is essential to protect families at this vulnerable stage and to break intergenerational cycles of intergenerational abuse.
If maternity care is to be the litmus test of patient safety under this government, then it must include meaningful responses to the impact of domestic abuse. One in five children in the UK are affected by domestic abuse [Source: NSPCC], and nearly 50,000 babies are referred to children’s social care in England every year with domestic abuse identified as a factor [Source: FOI to Social Care]. These statistics cannot be separated from conversations about maternity and neonatal care.
We also encourage the National Maternity and Neonatal Task Force to consider embedding Emotional Safety Plans across services. These tools offer parents and professionals a simple but powerful resource for improving emotional wellbeing and safety throughout the birth journey. They can help prevent birth trauma, enable better trauma-informed aftercare, and promote partnership between families and care providers. We have developed guidance on how these plans can be implemented, available here.
To create lasting and effective change, it is critical that domestic abuse is not treated as a peripheral issue, but as a central component of maternity care reform. We would welcome the opportunity to contribute our expertise to this important investigation and to ensure that every family has the chance to begin life together in safety and security.
Reach out to our Policy and Public Affairs Officer, Honey Alma, to discuss collaboration: honeyalma@forbabyssake.org.uk
