Mothers’ experiences of services following separation from a child
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Mothers’ experiences of services (i.e., Social Services, Substance Misuse Services and/or Community Mental Health Services) following a court-enforced separation from a child due to alcohol or drug use.
IRAS ID
316303
Contact name
Lee Hogan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bangor University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 30 days
Research summary
Research Summary
This study aims to explore mothers’ experiences of services due to a court-enforced separation from their children as a consequence of the mother’s substance use. Almost half of the mothers receiving treatment for substance use have experienced a separation from at least one of their children (Porowski, Burgdorf, & Herrell, 2004). This is a large proportion of families affected. Despite growing evidence to identify risk factors for families, there is little research exploring how to effectively support mothers in this predicament.
To facilitate reflection, it is essential that at the time of the interview participants have been in recovery from substances for at least 12 months with no ongoing custody queries. During the 60-90 minute online or telephone semi-structured interviews, the researcher will explore participants' experiences of different services. Learning from women’s experiences could offer helpful insights for relevant service development.
Summary of Results
‘Underneath the Addiction, There was Me’: Mothers’ Experiences of Services Following an Involuntary Separation from a Child due to Alcohol or Drug use
Context: Due to child protective service procedures focusing on the child, little attention has been given to women’s experiences with the services following separation from their children. This knowledge gap has meant a lack of evidence for an effective reunification process for this often hard-to-reach population.
Methods: Seven British mothers separated from their children whilst living in Wales participated in semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
Results: Five group experiential themes were generated: power struggle highlighted the interpersonal challenges and stigma women experienced with professionals; navigating health and social care systems emphasised the systemic challenges; judgement from society provided context to the above-named themes; and changing sense of self illuminated the struggles with motherhood identity. Regaining a sense of humanity started to build an understanding of how the smallest meaningful interactions with peers and/or professionals helped to tackle the stigma pertinent throughout the process.
Conclusion: Understanding women’s experiences with services increased the understanding of the interplay between the sense of threat and perceived stigma during the post-separation period. This was evident on interpersonal to intrapersonal level and highlighted the importance of professionals understanding their own biases and being able to see women’s experiences in the context of their histories.REC name
HSC REC A
REC reference
22/NI/0149
Date of REC Opinion
20 Oct 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion