‘Mother and baby officer’ to be appointed in every prison

After the death in jail of a baby whose mother gave birth alone, a "mother and baby officer" is to be appointed in every women's prison.

The Ministry of Justice announced an investment of £500,000 to recruit and train an enhanced pregnancy and mother and baby liaison officer in all women's prisons. There will also be a further £100,000 set aside for pregnancy items – such as maternity clothes, specialist mattresses, and breast pads - and an additional £80,000 for essential items for babies on MBUs whose mothers are experiencing financial hardship.

The move came before the publication of what is expected to be a damning report into the death of the baby at HMP Bronzefield in September 2019. Allegedly, the woman gave birth while she was unsupervised and alone in the jail.  

HMP Bronzefield, which is run by the private contractor Sodexo and holds more than 500 inmates, is the main prison for female offenders in London and the south of England. The jail has been subject to scrutiny in the past, in 2016 inmate Natasha Chin was found to have died in her cell less than 36 hours after arriving. In 2018 an inquest decreed the death was caused by a systemic failure through poor governance which led to a lack of basic care and was "contributed to by neglect".

The new guidance said that it was essential there were "clear procedures in place that enable the monitoring, recording and appropriate information sharing and escalation of safeguarding matters relating to pregnant women and mothers and children". It recommended welfare checks on all pregnant women, contingency processes in the event of pregnancy complications or unexpected labour, and sick leave, pay, and aftercare support for women who had difficult pregnancies.

It stressed unborn babies and children up to the age of two of mothers serving jail sentences should "not be treated as if they are subject to custodial sentences."

PM Law 

Sheffield Solicitors