The statistics around abusive behaviours during pregnancy and in the first 1001 remains at a high level, despite the knowledge of professional interventions for many years. The For Baby’s Sake Trust work with parents with previous history of abuse, aiming to break the cycle and prevent ongoing harm through generations. Judith Rees, COO for the charity, shares their work and research, challenging maternity professionals to actively pursue routine enquiry and include emotional safety in their practice.
Introduction
“For Baby’s Sake has the power to help to prevent a second pandemic of domestic abuse and poor infant and parental mental health. It has never been more important.”
Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, Founding Director, Institute of Health Visiting
At The For Baby’s Sake Trust, we provide trauma-informed therapeutic support to parents where there is a history of domestic abuse. We work with them from pregnancy, up to their baby’s second birthday, with the aim of breaking the cycle within that family. Healthcare professionals, including midwives, play a vital role in identifying domestic abuse and referring families to appropriate specialist services like For Baby’s Sake.
This article highlights research concerning domestic abuse during the perinatal period, its prevalence and effects, and outlines practical measures that midwives and healthcare professionals can take to identify domestic abuse, appropriately escalate concerns for the parents under their care and signpost to specialist services.
The Scale of Domestic Abuse
The Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists describe domestic abuse as a “maternal health issue” and identify that maternity care professionals “are particularly well placed to identify and respond to abuse”. Not only is domestic abuse likely to begin or escalate during pregnancy (according to SafeLives, 30% of domestic abuse cases begin in this period) but it has significant negative health implications for parents and their babies. This has potentially far-reaching intergenerational effects.
In 2021, we surveyed parents to find out how domestic abuse was affecting them in the first 1,001 days:
- A third of all parents (33%) have experienced a partner using abusive behaviour towards them, rising to 54% for parents who had domestic abuse in their family home as a child.
- 40% of parents who experienced domestic abuse said it occurred during their baby’s first 1001 days from pregnancy until the baby’s second birthday.
- 40% of those parents who experienced domestic abuse during pregnancy or the first two years of their child’s life didn’t feel able to seek professional help at the time and a third (33%) said they didn’t know where to begin to look for help. Only 10% received professional help at the time
In 2024 and 2025 respectively, we also sent FOI requests to police forces and social care, uncovering:
- The alarming number of babies referred to children’s social care in England with domestic abuse as a factor; 48,067 each year, based on a 3-year average.
- Over 185,000 babies are present at police call outs for domestic abuse incidents each year in England.
The scale of domestic abuse in England, and its impact on parents and babies, cannot be understated. It is crucial that midwives and healthcare professionals understand their role in breaking the cycle for families.
Reflective question: How confident am I that I fully recognise the scale and likelihood of domestic abuse during the perinatal period?
The Impact of Domestic Abuse on Babies
Experiencing domestic abuse impacts life outcomes for babies and children. Evidence suggests that exposure pre-birth and until the baby’s second birthday can have the greatest impact. Interventions at this stage can prevent years of abuse and harm.
Exposure to abuse and stress in utero and during early infancy can impact a baby’s physical and cognitive development. Stress hormones released in response to trauma can affect brain development and functioning. There is a higher risk of miscarriage, the baby being born prematurely and of having a low birth weight. Babies need consistent loving care to form secure attachments. An abusive environment disrupts this process and can lead to insecure attachment styles. These babies may struggle with trust and forming healthy relationships as they grow.
Offering support during pregnancy for both parents where they are identifiable, and there is a wish to co-parent, can harness parents’ motivation to protect and care for their baby and make the changes necessary to give their baby a better life.
Reflective question: How do I ensure that I am considering the baby when there are signs of stress, conflict, or abusive behaviour within a relationship?
Parent’s Mental Health in the First 1,001 Days
In 2025, we sought to gain deeper insights into parental experiences during the first 1,001 days of their baby’s life. To achieve this, we commissioned a YouGov survey involving 700 parents with children under the age of 10, which revealed the following findings:
- Half of parents surveyed (50%) say they experienced a rise in mental health challenges such as stress, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, or self-harm.
- Nearly 1 in 10 Dads said they turned to alcohol or substances more during the first 1001 days of their child’s life (8%).
- 1 in 3 parents overall reported more conflict in their relationship during the first 1001 days (34%).
This research also highlighted a worrying gap in professional support for parents in the early years.
- Just 28% of Dads reported that a professional asked them about their mental health or emotional wellbeing during their baby’s first 1001 days, compared to 62% of Mums.
- 40% of Mums reported feeling supported by a professional during this time, compared with 19% of Dads.
- Nearly 1 in 10 parents overall said there was no support available to them (8%).
- Barriers to accessing support were common: nearly 1 in 5 parents didn’t know what support was available (19%), and 1 in 4 Mums feared being judged or blamed (24%).
These findings show that the first 1001 days of parenting are emotionally and mentally demanding – yet professional support can be inconsistent, especially for Dads. It’s crucial for midwives and healthcare teams more broadly to identify and engage both parents, wherever possible, when having conversations about relationships and domestic abuse.
Reflective question: Am I consistently creating space to explore the emotional wellbeing of both parents, including Dads and non-birthing parents?
Asking “The Question”
Since 2000, the Department of Health has recommended that maternity services routinely inquire about domestic abuse, aiming to provide timely support and intervention. Midwives are frontline advocates in breaking the cycle of abuse and safeguarding the health and well-being of both parents and babies.
And yet, “despite prevalence of domestic abuse in pregnancy, detection and facilitation of disclosure of abuse by maternity services is comparatively low with just 0.5% of maternity patients recorded as disclosing domestic abuse”, as referenced in the ‘Victims in their own right? Babies, children and young people’s experience of domestic abuse’ report by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner in 2025. As our YouGov findings highlight, many parents do not know what professional support is available to them during pregnancy, and those who do often feel unable to access support, likely due to shame, stigma and other barriers.
Anecdotally, we hear from midwives that they can feel awkward or not confident in asking the question, or that there is often misinterpretation of what ‘domestic abuse’ means for families. It may be that parents don’t recognise coercive control as domestic abuse, for example, and interpret the question to specifically be in reference to violent behaviours. Parents are often worried that a disclosure may result in their baby being removed from their care, especially if they have had previous contact with social care. All of these factors combined create for a complex dynamic between professional and parent.
The routine enquiry can be enhanced by ensuring the following are considered:
- Privacy: creating space and opportunity to talk to each parent separately
- Clear understanding and explanation of what domestic abuse includes
- Using open questions and a non-judgemental response
- Validating experiences
- Transparent next steps alongside immediate safety planning
In partnership with Best Beginnings, as part of the Safer Beginnings project, we co-created a suite of informative videos to support parents in understanding abuse in their relationship, and what will happen when they tell a professional:
- What will happen if I tell someone about my abusive relationship?
- Is my relationship abusive?
- Is my behaviour abusive?
Reflective question: What practical changes could I make in how I ask the question?
Emotional Safety Planning for Parents and Professionals
During Safer Beginnings, we also co-produced our Emotional Safety Plans. These are an empowerment and self-agency tool for anyone preparing for pregnancy, birth and beyond. It can be used by expectant parents and professionals to record what they may need to feel listened to, including preferences about how they are spoken to, or how options and choices are explained, so they can process, recognise and manage their feelings, to feel safe before, during and after birth. One way of using it is as a tool in reflective supervision or as a debriefing tool following a difficult or emotionally challenging labour or period of care.
Reflective question: How can I incorporate emotional safety planning into my routine care?
Conclusion
Providing this care can be emotionally demanding and may affect the wellbeing and emotional safety of those delivering it. By acknowledging and addressing their own emotional safety needs, midwives are better equipped to offer compassionate, trauma-informed support to parents, helping them to feel safe and understood. In doing so, midwives play a vital positive role in giving babies the best possible start in life. Crucially, in situations where domestic abuse is present, midwives are at the forefront of breaking intergenerational cycles of abuse by providing timely intervention and support, helping to create safer environments for both parents and their babies.
Judith Rees, COO, The For Baby’s Sake Trust
February 2026
Biography
Judith took up her role at For Baby’s Sake Trust in July 2015, having worked in the NHS for 33 years working as a Staff Nurse, Midwife, Health Visitor, Practice Teacher, and Safeguarding Nurse and Team Leader for Health Visitors and School Nurses. She went on to set up and manage the Family Nurse Partnership Team in Hertfordshire. Judith completed an MSc in Child Protection and Child Welfare focused on the impact of domestic abuse on babies and children. Judith’s passion for early intervention and safeguarding in relation to domestic abuse and her training, supervision and safeguarding skills are being put to excellent use at The For Baby’s Sake Trust.