News

Kettering General Hospital has been shortlisted for a national nursing award for the way in which it has supported mothers whose children have been taken into care.

The Trust is on the shortlist for the Nursing Times Awards 2019 in the Enhancing Patient Dignity category for the way its Safeguarding Team has introduced ‘Not Forgotten Boxes’ for women in this distressing situation.

The boxes contain hand and foot prints, a photo frame, baby blanket, teddy, and information on support services and advice for mothers and their families.

The aim of the boxes is to help women mourn the loss of their child and support them to access services to meet their own needs.

Since December 2018 all women who are having – or at risk of having - their child removed have been offered a ‘Not Forgotten Box’.

The boxes were developed by KGH’s Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children, Tabitha Tantawi-Basra.

She said “We have introduced the boxes as we recognised, that there is little acknowledgement or support for women who have suffered the loss of a new-born who has been removed from their care.

“There are many reasons why children are taken into care and most are associated with their parents’ life circumstances – which many may have little control over.

“Whatever the circumstances however they always remain a mother who has lost a baby by having it removed.

“In order to help women mourn that loss, and offer some support to them, the idea of the Not Forgotten Boxes was born.

“We hope that the boxes offer an acknowledgment of their loss in a positive and sympathetic manner and that it will help encourage these mums to remain in contact with services who are able to offer them some support during this distressing time.

“The box contains items to support positive memories of their child and recognises that they have still become a mother despite the absence of their child.”

Generally women do not receive support with their own emotional wellbeing when their child is removed and research shows mothers who have lost their children in this manner are more likely to suffer from depression, substance misuse, and mental illness.

Tabitha said: “By providing mothers with the Not Forgotten Boxes we support and acknowledge the emotional impact of these situations.

“The feedback we have had from mothers so far has been that it was really helpful to see that someone is thinking of them during this very distressing time.

“Also that it was very helpful for them, at such a stressful time, to have someone to talk to about their baby and to have someone listen to them in a non-judgemental way.”

So far a number of the boxes have been accepted by mums who have had their child removed into the care of the local authority and received with thanks.

The Team have been asked to present the short-listed initiative to an expert panel in London in September. The finals of the awards are being held in October.