The experiences of multi-stressed parents who have encountered child protection services

The current neoliberal political narrative has positioned families experiencing multiple stressors and struggling against adversity as responsible for their difficulties, making poor choices and avoiding opportunities to change their lives. Mothers are especially blamed and held responsible for maltreatment of their children, within a framework of child protection.

A Grounded Theory approach is used to explore the experiences of mothers who have been through intensive family support programmes as part of the ‘Troubled Families’ initiative. The women describe how they have had little control over their lives, experienced abuse in most of their significant relationships, and end up ‘broken’, losing all sense of self. They shut down and feel intense shame, leading to mental health problems and substance misuse. This is on a background of coping with poverty and inequality, creating immense daily stress. They find strength through their relationships with their children, suggesting removal of them may be detrimental.