Medway Repeat Removals:

Exploring the needs of mothers who have had more than one child removed.

The Task

In recognition of the prevalence and impact of recurrent care proceedings in Medway, TONIC was commissioned to undertake a project to improve understanding of the needs of women who have had more than one child removed from their care. This was to inform the commissioning of a targeted intervention which aims to reduce recurrent removals in Medway.    

TONIC’s Approach

To undertake the work and achieve the outcomes, TONIC undertook a literature review of best practice and existing theoretical models and approaches to recurrent care proceedings, reviewed quantitative data and undertook 46 primary interviews. Interviews included stakeholders internal to Medway (22), external to Medway (9) undertaking similar work elsewhere in England and Wales, mothers with lived experience in both Medway (12) and Suffolk (3) (where a specific intervention exists).   

Outcome  

TONIC produced a report which built a profile of the women involved in recurrent care proceedings in Medway, produced a table which demonstrated the different models available to Medway and their key features and, where possible, findings from evaluations of these services. The qualitative data from primary interviews was thematically analysed to produce an options appraisal and recommendations for a newly commissioned service. This provided pros and cons to a series of ‘decision junctions’ and afforded consideration to who should be eligible for the service, how the team should be comprised, whether long-lasting reversible contraception should be a condition of the service and how peer support can play a role. TONIC also made recommendations about ‘key ingredients’ for good practice, regardless of the specific makeup of the service such as strong community links, robust clinical supervision and links to a wider, national community of practice. The report directly fed into the recruitment of a new post who will act as the key coordinator of the programme to link social care, early help and other council and legal services together with an advocacy service. Further, based on the report, the council went on to develop a framework for mental health support that the co-ordinator will be able to draw down from to provide trauma-informed therapeutic interventions.  

“Medway Council has worked with TONIC on more than one project over the years, most recently they conducted some research into models of care for women who repeatedly have babies taken into care. Besides being professional and always delivering on time and on budget, TONIC have a way of always delivering added value.”

“Their research was insightful and changed the way in which we had been designing our pathway. The report was easy to read and made the findings and recommendations very clear. They worked with professionals across the country to understand other models of care but also engaged successfully and considerately with local women who had been through the process of their children being taken into care. As part of the added value they provided links with user groups in other parts of the country that were willing to work with us locally to ensure we got the service right.”

Public Health Principal and Head of Public Health Programmes Medway Council