HOPE.jpeg

The design and content of the hope boxes have been chosen by a group of mothers with lived experience of separation at birth (Hope Mum’s Group) and built on the learning from charities and midwives already innovating in this field of practice. The mothers have been working as a lived experience advisory group as part of the ‘Born into Care’ developing new best practice guidelines (Mason et al. 2022).

The hope boxes are an intervention designed to minimise the trauma experienced by the mother and baby by supporting them in different ways and at different points through their journey from the postnatal ward through care proceedings and beyond. The name “HOPE” was decided upon by women with lived experience and stands for: Hold On Pain Eases.

AIMS:

  1. Supporting connection, the hope boxes support connection between mother and baby. As a tool for practitioners to use with mothers, they also aim to support mother-practitioner connection.

  2. Acknowledging and promoting identity the hope boxes aim to promote maternal identity and support the child’s understanding of their own history, if they are not in their parents’ care.

  3. Reducing trauma, the hope boxes aim to reduce the trauma of mother and baby separation.

  4. Recognising grief and loss the hope boxes have been designed to support mothers in their loss and grief journey, both the immediate sense of loss following the separation and into the future, if there is a decision for a long-term separation. The baby’s hope box may also help the child with any feelings of loss they experience as they grow and develop.

Hope boxes will be offered to mothers who reside in Coventry and Warwickshire when the baby is separated from the mother following a court order or following voluntary agreement to the baby being accommodated by the local authority. There will be one box for the mother or family and one for the baby.

The boxes contain items to help capture early memories, nurture the bond between mother and baby whilst final decisions are being made by the courts, and preserve moments of connection that may bring comfort and meaning in the future. The baby’s box supports life story work and helps the child hold tangible links to their earliest experiences.