Born into Care

Karen Broadhurst OBE is Distinguished Professor of Social Work at Lancaster University. She is a leading figure in family justice research, including child protection at birth. Emily Keddell is Professor of Social Work at the University of Otago (Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka). Linda Cusworth is Senior Research Fellow at Lancaster University and a specialist in family justice research including children in care. Lucy Griffiths is Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology at Swansea University and a specialist in child health and wellbeing, with her work covering infants born into care. Claire Mason is Research Fellow at Lancaster University and leading a pioneer of systems change regarding child protection in pregnancy and at birth.

“A comprehensive and compelling call for reform in pre-birth safeguarding and infant separation from a distinguished international collective of child welfare leaders with learned and lived experience.” Jeri L. Damman, University of Sussex

• Introduction: rethinking the removal of infants at birth - Karen Broadhurst, Emily Keddell, Linda Cusworth, Lucy Griffiths, and Claire MasonPart 1: Infant removals at birth: assessment and decision-making1. The removal of infants at birth in the US: anticipating harm in newborn baby cases - Vivek Sankaran and James 'Tre' Fitts2. Newborn babies, family preservation, and the role of the Guardian ad Litem: cradled by the system or harmed in haste? - Karen Broadhurst and Linda Cusworth3. Even- handed treatment? Voluntary and compulsory routes into care for infants in Wales - Laura Cowley and Lucy Griffiths4. Newborn removals in Norway: contested decisions in a changing policy landscape - Barbara Ruiken and Ida Benedicte JuhaszPart 2: Infant removals at birth: justice, representation, and rights5. Parents in recurrent care proceedings: gender bias, institutional stigma, and cumulative trauma - Claire Mason, Georgia Philip, Harriet Ward, and Bachar Alrouh6. Care proceedings in the immediate postpartum period as systemic gender- based injustice - Karen Broadhurst and Stephanie Taplin7. Maternal rights and infant separation in prisons - Laura Abbott, Natalie Avlonitis, Kirsty Kitchen, Katherine Miller Brunton, and Simone Phipps8. A right to family life for parents with learning difficulties and disabilities - Katy Burch and Beth TarletonPart 3: Disproportionate infant removals in Indigenous communities and strategies of resistance9. Inequality in perinatal child protection involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in Australia: challenges and opportunities - Jacynta Krakouer and Melissa O’Donnell10. Under surveillance in pregnancy and at birth in British Columbia: Indigenous women speak out - Susan Burke, Katelynn Buchner, and Tammy Pearson11. Decolonisation and the reduction of entries to care for babies in Aotearoa New Zealand: the ongoing challenge - Kerri Cleaver and Emily Keddell12. Conclusion: transforming practices of infant removal at birth – what needs to change? - Karen Broadhurst, Emily Keddell, Linda Cusworth, Lucy Griffiths, and Claire Mason