Ms Anne Cronin:

We do not have a dedicated crisis pregnancy service. However, there has been an increasing number of women in our emergency supported temporary accommodation who are at various stages of pregnancy. There are risks in regard to accommodation for them and their support needs. Often the highest risks are when women have an active addiction. This is the most complex challenge we face. We included this issue in our submission because we wanted to highlight the issue as a serious challenge but we do not see it as an all-time prominent issue. However, when it has spiked, it has proved challenging. For that reason, we have asked for a dedicated crisis midwife to be available with the specific set of skills required to support us. We have a skilled staff but like many of our colleagues in other voluntary community groups, our staff are not necessarily clinical staff.

We will certainly look for a dedicated midwife in the region to support us and other service providers in working with females with a crisis pregnancy who are active in their addiction or have an enduring mental health need. Very often there might be a learning disability or another issue that might reduce capacity. This is key in their transition through the accommodation and homeless services. What we do not want to see happen is women having their babies and then returning to supported temporary or emergency accommodation. That is such an awful outcome which is detrimental to the woman concerned, her baby and the staff who are trying to support her. It is a unique challenge which needs attention.