Parliamentary Inquiry into Birth Trauma: Call for Evidence

Summary

The UK Public Inquiry into Birth Trauma is calling for evidence from professionals who have experience of working with birth trauma and those suffering from vicarious trauma themselves too.  

Make Birth Better is part of the Special Advisory Group for the inquiry so we’re reaching out to our networks to encourage submissions from professional groups. 

As you know, professionals are impacted deeply by our maternity system. Many are also doing amazing work to better prevent and treat birth trauma. All of your stories matter and form an important part of the picture the government needs to learn about.

The inquiry aims to review the reasons for the prevalence of birth trauma in the UK and make recommendations for policy change.  The deadline for submissions is Monday 6th February.

Questions you might like to consider:

How do you see birth trauma impacting those in your care?
What do you see as the major contributing factors?
How does vicarious / secondary trauma impact your ability to do your job?

If you’re running a service relevant to birth trauma, you might can share:

The strengths of your service – What makes it work well? What are you proud of?
The challenges you face – Staffing? Budget? Integration with other NHS teams/services?
Any political/policy asks you would suggest – Protected funding? Better training?
 

Remember that your wellness comes above all else. Before you start writing, please ask yourself:

✅ Would it feel safe for you to share your story?

✅ Would taking more time to heal benefit you first?

✅ Do you have people to talk to if the process feels distressing?