Why we created a training course on Understanding Child Removal - and why it matters

Taylor Harrison, Women’s Health Matters

Child removal is one of the most painful and often invisible experiences a woman can go through. It is surrounded by silence, stigma, and misunderstanding. Too often, women are judged before they are heard, and their stories are simplified into case files and timelines, rather than recognised as the complex and deeply human experiences they are.

At Women’s Health Matters, we knew something had to change, not just in how society talks about child removal, but in how professionals understand and support the women at the heart of it.

There are many myths and misconceptions that surround child removal. One of the most damaging is the idea that it only happens to women who are 'uncaring' or ‘unfit’.  In reality, many women who lose care of their children are survivors of domestic abuse, mental health challenges, poverty, or intergenerational trauma. These are often the same women who face barriers to accessing the very support that might help them keep their families together.

In England, more than 80,000 children were in the care system as of 2023, and year on year, a significant proportion of these children are removed from mothers who themselves have been failed by multiple systems. Research shows that 1 in 4 mothers who have a child removed will go on to have another child taken into care, often within a short timeframe.  This is a cycle that could be interrupted with more compassionate, trauma-informed support.

That’s why we created Understanding Child Removal for Women: A Compassionate Approach.  This is a unique training course, co-developed and co-delivered with women who have experienced child removal first-hand. Their lived experience is not just included, it’s central to the learning.

This course was born from a desire to replace silence with conversation, stigma with empathy, and judgment with understanding.

Co-Development with Rosebuds: Real voices at the centre

This course was created through a powerful collaboration with Rosebuds, a peer support group run by Women’s Health Matters for women affected by child removal. Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside these incredible women, listening to their stories, learning from their experiences, and gaining a deeper understanding of the barriers they have faced, not only as mothers, but as women navigating multiple services that often fail to recognise their strengths or needs.

Co-creating this training has been one of the most emotional and moving projects I’ve ever been part of. The stories shared by the women of Rosebuds were not only filled with grief, survival and stigma, but also with powerful reflections on resilience, self-worth, and how relationships with professionals shaped their journeys...for better or worse. 

The women of Rosebuds didn’t just share their stories; they shaped the training itself. Every section, activity, and case study was built around their insight. They told us what they wished professionals had understood in the moments that mattered most. They explained how the tone of a conversation, the words used in a report, or the presence or absence of compassion changed everything.

One woman shared how the only professional she felt truly safe with was someone who “spoke to me like a human, not a case.” That reflection became a cornerstone of our training, showing how working with a compassionate approach can change the course of women’s lives.

Another woman described how every meeting felt like it was happening “to” her, not “with” her. From this came our focus on Tips and advice from women to professionals, challenging professionals to reflect on how power dynamics play out, often unintentionally, and impact women.

Their powerful insight into the development of this training course wasn’t an afterthought; it was the foundation of the training. It reminded us that real change doesn't come from more information alone; it comes from shifting perspective.

Understanding Child Removal for Women: A Compassionate Approach isn’t just training. It’s a call to listen, reflect, and do better together.

A Compassionate Approach, Not A Clinical One

Our training isn’t about box-ticking. It's about empathy, understanding, and meaningful change. It’s an honest, respectful space designed to promote understanding, not shame. 

With lived experience at its core, the course creates a safe space for professionals to:

• Hear real stories

• Reflect on their practice

• Learn new approaches

• Ask difficult questions without fear of judgment

We believe learning should be honest and human. Working alongside Vicky, our co-facilitator and someone with lived experience herself, has been deeply inspiring.  Not only has it allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of child protection concerns from a mother’s point of view, but to also gain a deeper understanding of the challenges she, and many others like her, faced in trusting and accessing support. Her insight and passion ensure that every session stays grounded in real-life experiences. She brings the voices of so many women into the room to help practitioners work more compassionately and successfully with women, enabling them to make lasting changes in their lives.

Reflecting on her role, Vicky, the co-facilitator, says: “I feel so empowered when I deliver this course. I can use my experience to help others and I am proud of the work we have done to make this course something that can help change women’s lives.”

What Professionals Are Saying

In March 2025, we delivered the latest session of the training to 15 professionals from services such as Forward Leeds, Leeds Women’s Aid, Housing, and Sure Start. Their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with professionals commenting that they wanted a safe space to learn, ask questions, reflect on their practice, and share best practices when working in such a challenging field. Some of the feedback received includes:

• “Well organised training, very interactive and informative.” – Manchester Women’s Aid

• “Great Course, highly recommend it.” – Home-Start Leeds

• “It’s had a massive impact! It gave a real insight into how we as professionals can do better.”

• “The training was fantastic and incredibly engaging. I feel more confident and prepared.”

• “This training will help me support women in the most effective and appropriate way.” – Community Links Leeds

Professionals want to do better. They just need the right tools, space and understanding to do so. This course offers exactly that.

Putting Learning into Practice

One of the most important aspects of this training is its focus on real, actionable change. Delegates don’t just leave with greater awareness – they leave with tools, confidence and a deeper understanding of how to apply compassion in their day-to-day work. The feedback below highlights how attendees are already putting their learning into practice and making meaningful changes to their approach.

• The tips and advice from women on how to work with them are so helpful, I can already see how my practice will improve.

• This will help me contribute to a more holistic support plan with the women I support who have experienced child removal.

• I have better awareness of service and feel more confident to signpost.

• I have so much more knowledge and information on the legal process, which I can talk to my clients about.

• I understand why compassion is so important when working with women who have experienced child removal.

These changes may seem small, but they are the seeds of something bigger – a cultural shift in how services respond to and work alongside women with lived experience.  

Why This Work Matters

Too many women affected by child removal feel judged, unsupported, and silenced. Too many professionals feel unsure, underprepared, or afraid to say the wrong thing.

This training bridges that gap.

If you work with women – whether you’re a midwife, social worker, housing officer, family support worker or community practitioner – this course is for you.

What to Expect from the Training

• Real voices sharing lived experience

• Practical tools to improve how services engage with women

• Space to reflect, connect, and grow

• A human lens – because this work is about heart, not just policy

We’re not here to shame. We’re here to understand. To learn with women, not just about them.

Be Part of the Change

Join us and be part of creating services that are compassionate, respectful, and empowering. We offer in-house sessions as well as public training days.

Upcoming dates in Leeds:

23rd June – Book Here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/understanding-child-removal-for-women-a-compassionate-approach-tickets-1312668921079?aff=oddtdtcreator

3rd November – Book Here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/understanding-child-removal-for-women-a-compassionate-approach-tickets-1312745339649?aff=oddtdtcreator

For in-house training at your place of work or for more information, please contact Taylor@womenshealthmatters.org.uk