07/09/2026
By the time child protection becomes involved, something has often already gone very wrong.
I worked on several cases involving mothers experiencing postpartum psychosis, and I want to challenge the assumption that social workers simply arrive to remove babies.
That was never and could never be the starting point.
Where it was safe and possible, we worked incredibly hard to keep mother and baby together whilst Mum received the treatment and support she needed.
But there was a frustration I saw repeatedly and that was women seemingly needing to deteriorate to the point of crisis before the level of mental health intervention matched the seriousness of what was happening.
And once there is an imminent risk to a mother or her child, safeguarding services HAVE to respond.
That can mean more professionals, more assessments, more fear and more pressure being placed on a woman who is already profoundly unwell.
The Lindsay Clancy case has made me think a lot about those cases.
We need to get better at recognising serious postpartum mental illness BEFORE crisis becomes catastrophe.
Early intervention isn’t just mental health care, It’s safeguarding too.
