Pregnant women may avoid child protection out of fear and mistrust
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Pregnant women who become involved with child protection services often experience fear, mistrust and stigma, leading some to avoid health and support services altogether, new Griffith University research has found. Ph.D. candidate Rebecca Wren from Griffith's School of Allied Health, Sport and Social Work examined existing research and what it revealed about the lived experience of women who engaged with child protection while pregnant. The findings are published in the journal Children and Youth Services Review.
There is limited evidence on lived experiences of prenatal child protection amid growing international concern about the consistently high number of infants being removed from their families.
"Being pregnant can be a vulnerable time for women, and many are experiencing complex challenges including trauma, family violence, poverty, substance abuse, mental health concerns, and housing insecurity," Wren said. "They feel a sense of being judged, surveilled and mistrust, causing many to avoid services for fear their child will be removed.
"Their feelings of mistrust are driven by unclear plans and broken promises, as child protection can often focus on deficits and not women's strengths, recovery and parenting potential. Unfortunately, a mother's experience with trauma and domestic violence frequently goes unaddressed."
The study identified missed opportunities for early intervention and support during pregnancy that could improve outcomes for the mother and her baby.
Co-author Professor Silke Meyer from Griffith's Center for Mental Health said, "It is important we see more trauma-informed, culturally responsive and relationship-based approaches that prioritize both child safety and maternal well-being. We need to break the cycle of disadvantage and reduce the rate of infant removal."
More information
Rebecca Wren et al, Women's experiences of child protection involvement during pregnancy: A scoping review, Children and Youth Services Review (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.109068
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Citation: Pregnant women may avoid child protection out of fear and mistrust (2026, July 9) retrieved 13 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-pregnant-women-child-mistrust.html
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