More and more mothers have been coming to us who are under threat of losing their children, have lost them and are fighting to get them back, or are trying to prevent their contact with violent fathers. Increased state intervention in family life has resulted in the biggest number of children in care for 30 years. Most are from impoverished families now targeted by austerity policies. While the law assumes that parents have equal rights and responsibilities towards their children, it is overwhelmingly mothers who are the primary carers. But the importance of children’s relationship with their mothers and the trauma of forced separation are dismissed, undermining mothers’ ability to protect their children. This crisis and its implications for children’s wellbeing and development have received little acknowledgement or visibility. This Dossier aims to show the extent of the problem, the supporting evidence self-help groups of mothers are beginning to get from professionals, and to make proposals for action.
