Services and support for mothers and newborn babies in vulnerable situations: A study of eight European jurisdictions

Children’s rights and parents’ rights: Popular attitudes about when we privilege one over the other

“…This finding may indicate that a rights orientation is of a fundamental character, and not easily swayed by situational features. The finding resonates with the literature on peoples' core beliefs and values, and how these beliefs influence attitudes about a wide range of issues (Feldman, 1988, see also Craig et al, 2005;Skivenes, 2021). Findings may also reflect the particular vignette and the case characteristics therein embedded.…”

Adoption from care: international perspectives on children’s rights, family preservation and state intervention

“…Nevertheless, the country chapters still report on abandoned children. The baby hatches in Germany and newborn babies given up for adoption in Austria, Estonia, Finland and Spain may point to gaps in services supporting mothers to look after their babies (see Luhamaa et al, 2021), and that there are social and cultural norms that make this kind of abandonment possible. It is noteworthy that when talking about babies 'left' for adoption, the focus is still on mothers, excluding the role of fathers.…”

“…However, whatever route to adoption is taken, once the 'supply' of infants for consensual adoption (who came from across social backgrounds) diminished, those whose children were considered for adoption from care have tended to come from materially deprived or otherwise disadvantaged backgrounds. In countries with a longer history of the provision of family support services, inadequate resources are rarely -or should not be -the sole reason for adoption from care (Luhamaa et al, 2021), and poverty and deprivation as sources of parental difficulty are compounded by physical and mental health problems, addictions, and inter-parental violence.…”

Asserting the right to care – Birth parents’ arguments in newborn care orders

“…Norwegian legal scholars Ofstad and Skar (2015) emphasize central parental concerns that are in effect in the newborn context: 'Drug use in utero or other circumstances for parents that may impact parenting, such as intellectual disabilities or severe mental illness will (…) be of importance ' (p. 103). From previous international research on risk and reasoning in care orders of newborns, we know that the aforementioned risks, as well as personality disorders or problematics, are often central, overlapping, and cumulative, in the overall considerations of risk to sufficient parenting (Barlow et al, 2014;Broadhurst et al, 2018;Juhasz, 2020;Krutzinna & Skivenes, 2020;Luhamaa et al, 2021;Ward et al, 2012). The centrality of parents' ability to make changes and utilize services and aid is also a central aspect of the care order context, especially for newborns (Juhasz, 2020;Lushey et al, 2018).…”

“…With this knowledge, it becomes possible to target, evaluate and improve CWS and service provision (Alpert, 2005;Bouma et al, 2020;Lundahl et al, 2020). It also provides necessary input as to what is already known about decision-making behaviour and justifications in assessing parents and their capacities in newborn care orders, both in Norway and internationally (Broadhurst et al, 2018;Juhasz, 2020;Krutzinna & Skivenes, 2020;Luhamaa et al, 2021). The analysis finally sheds light on what legitimate state intervention consists of for this group of citizens.…”