SHOPO and pregnancy

[Confused.comx]

Hi, my boyfriend, who is on the register for non contact offence where the girl lied about her age. I was just wondering what involvement and what actions are taken by social services during and after pregnancy. Do they do an initial assessment and make a decision straight away? Or is it regular assessments and appointments afterwards? Obviously we are aware we need to notify the relevant people, i just wanted advice on the issues above. Im just not really sure how the process works and if we would have to tell the midwife.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Confused.comx,

Thank you for your post and welcome to the parents’ forum. I am Suzie, an online adviser responding to your questions today.

You explain that your boyfriend is subject to a SHOPO. I think you are referring to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). Unlock ( a charity that supports people with a criminal record) have written a useful definition of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and the constraints these orders impose to protect children and vulnerable adults here.

Your boyfriend may have specific conditions stipulated in his sexual harm prevention order that relate to his offending history and the risks identified.

A SHPO is put in place to prevent serious harm to children or vulnerable adults. National Council for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) have published a summary of the traumatising effect of sexual abuse and exploitation here.

NSPCC explore the impact of both contact and non-contact sexual offences and point to research which concludes that non-contact sexual offences negatively affect children’s mental health and development to the same extent as contact offences.

At the booking in appointment in early pregnancy a midwife assesses a mother’s needs and finds out details of the baby’s father and/or current partner. Where a safeguarding issue is identified a midwife is responsible for sharing information with relevant agencies including children’s services. You have already wisely decided that it is best to notify the relevant people about the SHPO right away.

You can read about how children’s services must respond to receipt of a referral referral here.
On receiving a referral about safeguarding concerns about an unborn child, children’s services must decide certain things within one working day:
 - Whether to start an assessment, and if so, what type. This could be a child in need assessment focussing on support under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, or child protection enquiries and assessment under section 47 of the Children Act 1989.
 -Tell the person who made the referral what action (if any) they plan to take
 -Tell the parent and the child what action (if any) they plan to take. Unless doing that may place the unborn at risk of harm.

.As your partner is on the Sex Offenders Register it is normal for a pre-birth assessment to be carried out. This can include child protection procedures under s.47 of the Children Act 1989 and could result in your unborn baby being placed on a child protection plan. This depends on the outcome of their assessment and concerns about your child’s safety. A risk assessment of your partner is also likely to be completed.
You can read more about how children’s services work with parents to be here.
Lucy Faithfull Foundation is a support organisation who aim to prevent child sexual abuse by intervening with people at risk of causing harm and enabling everyone to create a safer world for children.
You will find useful resources on the Lucy Faithfull Foundation website here.

I hope this information is helpful to you.
Please feel free to come back to us for further advice. You could post again here or use our free telephone advice line open Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 3pm (excluding Bank Holidays) on 0808 801 0366.

Best wishes,
Suzie