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Born into Care: International Perspectives on the Removal of Babies at Birth
Author(s): Karen Broadhurst (Editor), Emily Keddell (Editor), Linda Cusworth (Editor), Lucy Griffiths (Editor), Claire Mason (Editor), Laura Abbott (Contributor), Bachar Alrouh (Contributor), Natalie Avlonitis (Contributor), Ida Benedicte Juhasz (Contributor), Katy Burch (Contributor), Susan Burke (Contributor), Kerri Cleaver (Contributor), Laura Cowley (Contributor), Kirsty Kitchen (Contributor), Jacynta Krakouer (Contributor), Katherine Miller Brunton (Contributor), Melissa O'Donnell (Contributor), Georgia Philip (Contributor), Simone Phipps (Contributor), Barbara Ruiken (Contributor), Vivek S. Sankaran (Contributor), Stephanie Taplin (Contributor), Beth Tarlton (Contributor), James Tre Fitts (Contributor), Harriet Ward (Contributor), Katelynn Buchner (Contributor), Tammy Pearson (Contributor)
- Publisher: Policy Press
- Publication Date: June 23, 2026
- Edition: First Edition
- Language: English
- Print length: 312 pages
- ISBN-10: 1447374215
- ISBN-13: 9781447374213
Book Description
Available open access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.
A ground-breaking international collection, Born into Care brings together leading scholars, practitioners, advocates and mothers with lived experience to confront the hidden and deeply controversial practice of infant removal at birth.
The first book of its kind, it delivers a powerful critique of the legal, ethical and political systems that perpetuate a practice which disproportionately impacts marginalised families. Topics covered in the book include decision-making at birth, human rights and access to justice, and the intersecting inequities of class, gender, racism and ableism.
Through rigorous analysis and diverse perspectives, the collection challenges dominant child protection narratives and lays the groundwork for systemic transformation.
Editorial Reviews
Review
About the Author
Karen Broadhurst OBE is Distinguished Professor of Social Work at Lancaster University. She is a leading figure in family justice research, including child protection at birth.
Emily Keddell is Professor of Social Work at the University of Otago (Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka).
Linda Cusworth is Senior Research Fellow at Lancaster University and a specialist in family justice research including children in care.
Lucy Griffiths is Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology at Swansea University and a specialist in child health and wellbeing, with her work covering infants born into care.
Claire Mason is Research Fellow at Lancaster University and leading a pioneer of systems change regarding child protection in pregnancy and at birth.
