Peer reviewed | Observational study | People
First-time mothers whose children go through family court care proceedings in England are 21 times more likely to die within 10 years of having their baby compared with other mothers, a new study by UCL researchers finds.
The research, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health , used anonymised data from NHS hospitals in England, the Office for National Statistics and Cafcass, relating to 2.7 million mothers with a first live birth between 2007 and 2017.
The team examined the likelihood of death within 10 years of a first birth, comparing mothers whose children were subject to care proceedings with those who did not.
The researchers found that 28,405 mothers (1.0% of all mothers in the study) had care proceedings within 10 years of the birth of their first child. Following proceedings, 1.1% of mothers died. This compared to 0.2% of mothers without proceedings.
After accounting for the women’s different ages (as the older you are the more likely you are to die) and how many years’ data was available for each woman after she gave birth (to make the data statistically meaningful), the research found that the rate of death was 21 times higher among mothers who had experienced care proceedings.
The study also looked at causes of death recorded on the death certificates. The researchers categorised deaths as “potentially preventable” if they were related to suicide, homicide, drugs, alcohol or accidental injury. Where mothers who had care proceedings died, 73% of deaths were related to these causes. This compared to 28% among mothers who died without having experienced care proceedings.
Senior author Dr Matthew Jay (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and the Family Law & Health Research Group), said: “We found that mothers with care proceedings have a starkly higher risk of dying compared to mothers without.
“In our study, mothers were between 15 and 50 years old at their child’s first birth. In other words, we are seeing mothers dying young related to largely preventable causes. This simply should not be happening.”
Amy Van Zyl, Chief Executive of the charity Her Circle, added: “Mothers whose children are subject to care proceedings are extremely vulnerable. Many will already have experienced abuse, violence and significant trauma. However, this is often compounded by the experience of navigating the social care and family court system.
“Child removal through the courts or by social services can be profound. This includes grief, stigma, guilt, loss of identity as a parent and, as these findings strikingly underscore, serious and adverse health consequences.
“There must now be a greater policy focus on ensuring women can access timely, trauma-informed support for these treatable and recoverable conditions, both to prevent avoidable maternal deaths and to reduce the risk of more children being orphaned as a result.”
A 43-year-old woman who faced having her baby removed from her at birth but was supported by Her Circle to keep her child – now aged one – in her care, said: “It makes me feel sad and annoyed that women are losing their lives over this when it can be prevented by not taking their children away from them and working with them instead and giving them help and support.”
Dr Mavis Maclean, University of Oxford, who was not involved in the study, said: “This research shows just how important it is to learn from existing data about the need for change in the family justice system to meet the needs of families.
“We need to look across health, social care and family law to ensure that both mothers and their children get timely support.
“The epidemiological approach to a socio-legal problem demonstrates the powerful impact of linking together datasets anonymously across legal and medical sectors to achieve better understanding of how family justice is operating.”
Care proceedings are started by children’s social care in cases of abuse or neglect. The intent is usually to place children into care, such as in foster care or residential care homes. A family court magistrate or judge will decide whether the local authority care plan should go ahead.
The study was funded by the Nuffield Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. Some investigators received support from the National Institute for Health and Care Research through its Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre.
Study limitations
The research could not examine mothers who had children removed by agreement with children’s social services (so-called “section 20” placements). Nor did it examine mothers involved in private family court cases – disputes largely between parents about living arrangements for children.
Notes to Editors
For more information, please contact Nick Hodgson, UCL Media Relations. T: +44 (0)7769 240209, E: nick.hodgson@ucl.ac.uk
Georgina Ireland, Bianca De Stavola, Ruth Gilbert, Matthew A Jay. Ten-year mortality among first-time mothers involved in family court care proceedings in England: cohort study using linked, administrative hospital, mortality and family court records, will be published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Child Health on Tuesday, June 23 at 23:30 UK time / Tuesday, June 23 at 18:30 US Eastern time.
The DOI for this paper will be: 10.1136/jech-2026-225930
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Observational study
People
Ten-year mortality among first-time mothers involved in family court care proceedings in England: cohort study using linked, administrative hospital, mortality and family court records
23-Jun-2026