Thesis

Exploring professional responses to mothers in and leaving care in pregnancy and in parenthood

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Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2026
Thesis identifier
  • T17645
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 201672208
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • Young people in and leaving care face many challenges and barriers in their transitions to adulthood, and as a result are less likely to achieve the same outcomes as their peers across several aspects of their lives. In 2014 the Scottish Government extended the rights and entitlements of care leavers in Scotland to try and address the inequities that young people in and leaving care face during their transition from being looked after. Prior research has shown that young women in and leaving care are more likely to experience pregnancy and parenthood at a younger age than their peers, and that this is associated with a higher risk of poor outcomes for both mothers and their child(ren). This overall profile of increased risk and poor outcomes associated with pregnancy and parenthood was the basis for this study. The aim of this thesis was to explore the extent to which women in and leaving care receive an equitable opportunity to successfully parent. It specifically sought to better understand how children and family practitioners respond to the needs of mothers in and leaving care in pregnancy and in parenthood. To achieve this aim, a qualitative research design was employed, using critical theory, to draw attention to the structural explanation and mechanisms underpinning and maintaining the reported higher risks and poorer outcomes for mothers in and leaving care. Data was collected in two stages, beginning with semi-structured interviews with four care experienced mothers who experienced pregnancy and parenthood during their transition from being in and leaving care in Scotland. This was followed by semi-structured interviews with 17 practitioners with experiences of supporting and responding to the needs of mothers in and leaving care. Data from the interviews were transcribed and analysed, using critical thematic analysis to draw attention to the dynamics of power, inequality, and context in the themes identified. The findings demonstrate the range of structural, cultural and political conditions which maintain the inequalities of outcomes experienced by mothers in and leaving care in Scotland. These conditions highlight the precariousness of mothers’ circumstances on leaving care, which contribute to the profile of risks, needs and vulnerabilities that they experience. When considering practitioners responses to these needs, the findings identify the practice dilemmas that arise for practitioners in navigating their roles and responsibilities to both mothers and their children. In doing so, the study highlights the impact of wider social, cultural and political norms relating to social work practice, motherhood and care experience on the recognition and adequate resourcing of responses to address the inequity faced by mothers in and leaving care in pregnancy and in parenthood. This shows that for mothers in and leaving care to be given equitable opportunity to parent, there needs to be greater recognition of their needs both as mothers and as care leavers, alongside a more dependable and caring response from the system of supports. This study therefore contributes to existing knowledge by advancing understandings of the structural explanations and mechanisms underpinning and maintaining the inequities of motherhood for women who are in and leaving care which has practical utility
Advisor / supervisor
  • Paul, Sally
Resource Type
DOI
Date Created
  • 2025

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