Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the safety of pregnant women in prison.

In September 2021, the Ministry of Justice published a new Policy Framework on Pregnancy, Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) and Maternal Separation from Children up to the Age of Two in Women’s Prisons. The policy set out in the Framework was developed jointly with NHS England and NHS Improvement, and as a result of extensive consultations with key stakeholders, including women with lived experience, the children’s social care sector, academics and charities.

Over £500,000 of additional funding was provided to better equip Mother and Baby Units and to support the introduction of a new liaison officer role. Pregnancy and Mother and Baby Liaison Officers have been recruited to all women’s prisons and multi-disciplinary care planning for pregnant women, based on their individual needs, is now compulsory. We have also introduced additional training for prison officers on the care of pregnant women in prison. All women are now provided with free telephone access to local NHS Pregnancy Advice Services and appropriate Social Services support: this includes any pregnant women who refuse to engage with ante-natal services.

Under the policy, care planning based on individual needs is in place for all women identified as pregnant, regardless of the level of engagement. The policy explains how prison staff should support women not engaging with services. Operational guidance that accompanies the policy highlights specific barriers to engagement and how these might present, to enable staff to identify and address complex needs and ensure access to relevant support services.

The policy can be found at the following link: Pregnancy, MBUs and maternal separation in women’s prisons Policy Framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).