Born into care: best practice guidelines

This project developed and tested evidence-informed guidelines to help improve practice when the state takes action to safeguard a newborn baby by initiating care proceedings.

The guidelines are designed to be adapted by local authorities, health trusts, and other partner organisations to meet their local contexts and develop local area action plans and guidelines.

You can access the guidelines, informational films and other resources here.

About the project

A rising number of newborn babies are subject to care proceedings in England and Wales. ‘Born into Care’ data shows that the number of newborn babies in care proceedings increased by 20% in England and 40% in Wales between 2012/13 and 2019/20.  

The guidelines are based on the first multi-site, systematic qualitative study of professional and parental perspectives on state intervention at birth. The research shows that there is consensus among practitioners and parents about what constitutes best practice. However, there are a number of challenges, including inter-agency collaboration, delays, and resource constraints.  

The guidelines are designed to help practitioners during three stages:  

• Pre-birth
• Within maternity settings and the first court hearing
• When parents leave hospital and return home without their baby.  

The aim is to help professionals and parents navigate an emotionally difficult and ethically challenging situation. 

The guidelines are underpinned by several principles, each of which are illustrated by practical examples.

The principles include: 

• A specialist focus on the vulnerable unborn child and parents
• Alignment of processes and services
• Father, co-parent, and wider family-and-friend inclusive practice
• Partnership and collaborative working
• Support that is tailored to the identified needs of parents and is responsive to professionals’ concerns. 

Guidelines and further resources

To read the guidelines in full, and find further resources for professionals, visit the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory website.