Supporting Women, Reducing Harm Short Life Working Group

Attendees and apologies

Attendees

• Emma Cashmore-Gordon, Co-chair, Perinatal Services Manager, Aberlour
• Iona Duckett, Co-chair, Senior Midwife, NHS Tayside
• Karis Deacon, SG, Secretariat
• Claudette Day, SG, official
• Carolyn Wilson, SG, official
• Anne McFadyen, SG, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health
• Roch Cantwell, SG, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health
• Marie-Claire Shankland, Programme Director, NHS Education for Scotland
• Shelley Arthur, Health Visiting Team Leader, NHS Forth Valley
• Sarah Zadik, Co-Founder & Head of Services, Amma Birth Companions
• Lynn Gillies, Service Manager, Children & Families, Social Work, Fife Council
• Jennifer Shields, Foetal Alcohol Advisory Support Training Team, Edinburgh
• Hazel Inglis, Specialist Midwife for Drugs and Alcohol, NHS Highland
• Samantha Stewart,
• Jaki Lambert, Director for Scotland, Royal College of Midwifes
• Rowan Anderson, Programme Lead, CORRA Foundation
• Joanne Smith, Policy and Public Affairs Manager, NSPCC Scotland

 

Apologies

• Kirstie Campbell, SG, official
• Emily McLean, SG, official
• Ruth Robin, Healthcare Improvement Scotland

Items and actions

Welcome and updates

The Co-Chairs welcomed group members to the eighth meeting and thanked everyone for attending. All members indicated they were content with the minutes of the previous meeting.

Lived and living experience group

The Co-Chair gave an overview of the previous session with the Lived and Living Experience Group, held on 7 November. They were asked specific questions around the draft guide of the Journey Through Care.

 

​​​​​​​The LLE group were asked some key questions around the interventions that did help or would have helped them during their pregnancy. Key points raised by the group included:

 

• several women noted negative experiences during hospital admission/birth. Midwives on maternity wards often don’t have specific experience with mothers who use substances, and some women suggested that having a peer support worker with lived experience on maternity wards to support women through the process – which would be similar to the navigator A&E programme.
• the role of the worker was highlighted as crucial in making women feel supported, understood and listened to. ‘The qualification is the person’. Women noted that relationship-based care is a two way street, and women must feel a sense of trust and connection in order to be honest about their circumstances.
• women expressed a need for one person, who could support them through the process, including care planning and appointments – as this would eliminate the need to be re-traumatised by having to tell their story (and explain their substance use) constantly.

Discussion on joined-up support

 

​​​​​​​Attendees were asked to address key questions related to the ‘joined-up support’ section of the draft guide, which relates to commissioning, workforce training and lived and living experience involvement, and how these can be utilised to ensure person-centred and tailored care for women, babies, and families across services. In the discussion, the following key points were made:

 

• there is a need for commissioners to look beyond the women’s individual circumstances, and consider the needs of the family as a whole, with clear structures in place to avoid mothers and children being constantly moved between services.
• NSPCC have noted a need to map pre-birth planning.
• key to this work is care and support for women who have had their children removed from their care. The Birth Parents Project has allowed 11 organisations to continue across Scotland, which provide specific support for parents across Scotland who have had their children removed. However, this remains inconsistent and access to this kind of specialist support is limited.
• on workforce training, there is a need to consider what change in behaviour/values we want to see – and what skills based interventions we can implement to deliver on this.
• improvement methodology and support for change is required, and we must consider how we give staff across various services the time and space to do this.
• specific training should be considered on MBRRACE reports and the impact of commercial sexual exploitation on mothers and families.
• on lived and living experience (LLE) involvement, members expressed a need for LLE involvement to be meaningful, and take place in the early stages of service design and delivery, to ensure this input can shape how services and training look.
• members noted the importance of capturing the infant voice. Understanding of this has developed in the last 5 years, and utilising the infant pledge and infant observation tools could help ensure the good practice guide fairly represents the needs of infants.

Actions and close

 

• ​​​​​​​the working group was asked to revisit the points circulated by Karis regarding the good practice guide, so that the remaining three key areas can be discussed at the next meeting.