Mothers Credit Mental Health Service with Preserving Families

Two mothers who have received assistance from an innovative adult mental health service have stated that it enabled them to maintain their family units. The ReConnect program assists parents throughout Buckinghamshire, aiming to provide parental support and disrupt cycles of abuse and neglect. This service, overseen by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, is marking its tenth year of operation. Nora and Jiya, pseudonyms used to protect their identities, are among those who have received help from the organization, which has been characterized as a “lifeline.” “I look back now and think ‘was that me going through domestic violence? How did I survive?’ I thought it was all normal,” Nora shared with the BBC. Prior to the birth of her fourth child, her children were taken into care. She became pregnant again, and social services presented her with an ultimatum: either remain with her husband, in which case her unborn baby would be placed into care immediately after birth, or choose her baby, which she did. Nora stated that upon engaging with the ReConnect service, she had felt “worried about telling people what I’d been through” and “worried about losing my child if they found out what I went though.” She added, “It’s helped me to say ‘no, things have to change’, and now I look back and it’s like I can’t believe I went through that.” She concluded, “Now, being a mum is great. I’m also a grandmother. I haven’t been in any domestic violence for over 10 years now due to ReConnect.” Jiya received a referral to ReConnect after the delivery of her second child. She informed the BBC, “This was my second pregnancy and I probably wasn’t having a second child for the right reasons.” She continued, “The emotions were quite negative and I do remember thinking ‘maybe I could just miscarry’ and that would be for the best.” After her son’s birth, Jiya described her emotional state as having “just got worse.” She recalled, “I remember thinking the only solution or the best thing that could happen was if he just died of natural causes and that would play on my mind – ‘that’s my only way out of here’.” She added, “Obviously in reality I wouldn’t want that to happen, but it’s seemed my only escape route.” A standard medical appointment for mastitis, during which Jiya “broke down,” initiated a sequence of events that culminated in her referral to ReConnect. She stated, “I didn’t hesitate, I wanted help, that’s what I wanted all along – some support.” She continued, “The best thing I think was being able to talk to somebody, to say the feelings out loud that you were holding inside.” Jiya further commented, “It was like a lifeline – [without ReConnect] I don’t know if I’d still have my children with me – it had been a really horrible few years.” Dr. Nicola Connolly, who serves as a consultant clinical psychologist and the clinical lead for ReConnect, affirmed that the service has provided assistance to hundreds of families. She stated, “ReConnect is a long term investment in a child’s future.” She elaborated, “We know that removing children from families has a massive impact on a child’s mental health, their attachment relationship and their ability to function well.” She concluded by saying, “What ReConnect tries to do is keep parents and children together by making the home safe.” You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.