The Institute of Public Care (IPC) at Oxford Brookes University has been commissioned by Nuffield Family Justice Observatory to undertake a study to explore the prevalence and experience of parents with learning disabilities or difficulties involved in care proceedings concerning their babies in England. It will work in partnership with an award-winning expert by experience organisation, My Life My Choice, and with five local authority sites to co-produce a mixed-method study involving case file sampling, interviews with parents, and interviews with professionals frequently involved in care proceedings, from social workers and support workers to lawyers and judges.
The research is part of our ongoing newborn babies in care proceedings work which aims to support professionals to respond to the increasing numbers of babies being removed at birth, by exploring the needs of the mothers and children affected and the type of support required through the pre-birth period and beyond.
The research team at IPC is actively seeking local authority partners who would like to participate in the research. For more information and an informal, confidential conversation about what that might involve, or for any other queries about the study, please contact Katy Burch (kburch@brookes.ac.uk)
