King’s College London, Oxford University and Birth Companions have published new research in BMJ Medicine examining children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths in the UK. The research looked at maternity care experiences through an analysis of national surveillance data from 2014 to 2022. Findings show: one in three women who died during or in the year after pregnancy were known to children’s social care; most deaths were due to suicide, other psychiatric causes included drug related deaths, and homicide; and one in three had disclosed abuse during childhood. The researchers are calling for changes to practice, clinical guidance and policy to prioritise mothers with social care involvement in pregnancy and early motherhood.
Read the news story: ‘Support, not judgement’: Links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths revealed
Read the study: Characteristics, outcomes, and maternity care experiences of women with children’s social care involvement who subsequently died: national cohort study and confidential enquiry
Source: King’s College London, Oxford University and Birth Companions
Date published: 11 July 2025
