What can social workers do about infanticide causes in the UK?
Social work with children and families has had little effect on the numbers of children who die at their parents or carers' hands. All that has happened is that the number of those in care has tended to rise, so that the number of looked after children in England alone at 31 March 2019, had increased again, to a staggering 78,150.
There is no research evidence that care improves or saves lives when it comes to infanticide prevention, but understanding the research into infanticide causes can show us alternative pathways.
So what does research say are the infanticide causes?
'There is evidence that domestic violence is present in two thirds of the cases (66%), substance misuse in 57% and mental ill health in 55% of families' (Brandon et al 2003)
See below for research.
If social work with children and families concentrates on why parents kill, we can reduce the need to take children into care. It's not difficult!
Social Work Research articles on infanticide causes and infanticide prevention
How Austria reduced the number of neonaticides
Independent study, referenced.
Interesting Huffington Post article, identifying importance of post partum period. If we know, we can prevent.
Women on low incomes are often trapped, with inadequate numbers of refuges and the fear of homelessness or having your children taken into care.
Filicide in Australian media and culture
If we can understand why parents murder, we can understand how to prevent it.
Child Abuse Review article
Prevalence of domestic violence in Europe
As the presence of domestic violence is linked to increased risk of child homicide, how can we give victims more power and perpetrators less, thus reducing the need to take children into care?
Surveillance of maternal deaths in the UK 2011-2013
Almost a quarter of postnatal (within a year) maternal deaths linked to poor mental health.
Friedman and Resnick. Journal of World Psychiatry
Flynn et al 2013 Journal article
Interesting if dated. Note that countries such as USA, Canada, Australia and NZ all do badly despite having arguably even stronger child protections systems/mandatory reporting.
Please read with cautions as data incomplete.