The reforms follow a review of Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) – specialist centres where female prisoners can live with children up to 18 months old receiving dedicated care.

The support currently available to women on MBUs will now be formally extended to pregnant prisoners and those separated from young children. As a result, more staff in female prisons will receive training on how to help women in these situations and all women’s prisons will have a resident pregnancy and mother specialist, ensuring those who need extra care can get it.

More than 60% of women in custody have experienced domestic abuse and around half have a history of substance misuse. Compared to men, women in prison are much more likely to be primary carers with almost 50% of them having children in the community. The Government’s flagship Female Offender Strategy set out a plan two years ago to see fewer women, particularly those with children, sent to prison and instead receiving robust community sentences, where appropriate, and which would allow them to get treatment to overcome the problems driving their criminality.

Nevertheless, when a woman’s offence demands a custodial sentence, including those who are pregnant or have young children, MBUs provide a safe and nurturing environment for babies and crucial, dedicated support to their vulnerable mothers. These units are supported by specially trained prison officers and nursery nurses and allow mother and child to stay together and properly bond at what is a crucial stage in the child’s development.

Lucy Frazer QC MP, Minister for Prisons and Probation said:

Pregnant women and those in prison with young children often come from complex backgrounds and with specific needs, which is why it is vital we provide them with the best possible support.

Staff on Mother and Baby Units do an incredible job but we also need that tailored care for women in prison who are pregnant or separated from their young children.

The changes will help to ensure children get a good start in life, looked after by a mum better able to turn her own life around thanks to the support of prison and probation staff.

Healthcare in women’s prisons is commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement and following the development and roll out of their Perinatal and Mental Health Care Pathways, pregnant women and mothers in custody will benefit from a nationally coordinated approach for the first time. This will allow the consistency in care received before, during and after a pregnant women’s time in custody. It also ensures support for all health needs, including treatment for substance misuse, mental health support and maternity services. This joined up approach offers a more holistic care plan that has been proven to benefit both mother and child. 

This new, additional care will be extended across the estate and not just apply to those on MBUs, meaning greater support for all women experiencing separation from young children or the loss of a baby. The resident pregnancy and mother specialist role has also been updated to reflect this and ensure it acts as a single point of contact for all women, their families and staff working with them.

A former MBU resident said:

I have nothing but positives to say about MBUs at New Hall and Askham Grange. The prison and nursery staff supported me 100% on everything.

They gave me the opportunity to keep and know my children, and I became a better person and parent with their help and guidance. Without these units my children wouldn’t have known who I was, the bond we have is unbroken all thanks to these amazing people.

The number of pregnant women in custody and births in prison will also be collected centrally and published for the first time. While this information has been known at a prison-level, collecting the data centrally will help the Prison Service to map out the scale of support needed and how this informs provisions such as MBUs, including their size and where they are located. 

A new committee, including current and former prisoners, is also being established to ensure that implementation of these reforms can be monitored and learnt from, with any further areas for improvement identified at the earliest opportunity.

During the course of the review, one baby has died in prison while another was sadly stillborn. Both are tragic events and are being interpedently investigated as appropriate, including by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. Immediate changes have already been made, including extra welfare checks for prisoners in the late stages of pregnancy. We will respond to any lessons learnt from the investigations.

The Health Secretary Matt Hancock has this evening announced that new rules on social gatherings will be introduced in Northern England to stop the spread of COVID-19. These changes will also apply in Leicester city.

This is in response to an increasing trend in the number of cases per 100,000 people in the area, and data from PHE and the JBC which suggests transmission among households is a key infection pathway in the area.

The areas that these changes apply to are:

• The Greater Manchester area
• Pendle
• Hyndburn
• Burnley
• Rossendale
• Blackburn with Darwen
• Bradford
• Calderdale
• Kirklees
• Leicester City

It means people in these areas will not be permitted to mix with other households (apart from those in their support bubbles) in private homes or gardens.

Some exemptions will be put in place, including for the vulnerable.

The government will sign new regulations to make these changes legally enforceable.

The regulations will give local authorities and police forces the powers to enforce these restrictions and more details on these will be set out when the regulations are published.

Households may go to hospitality, for instance bars and pubs, but new guidance will make clear that two households should not go to hospitality together.

Meanwhile local leaders and government have today agreed a number of changes to local restrictions in other areas.

While social gathering restrictions remain in place in Leicester City, the area will benefit from the lifting of restrictions that took place on 4 July in England, and all local restrictions currently in place in the neighbouring borough of Oadby and Wigston will end.

It means from Monday 3 August restaurants, cafes, bars and hairdressers in Leicester City can get back to business but leisure centres, gyms and pools will remain closed. In addition, cinemas and museums will open and religious ceremonies will be able to take place.

And on Saturday 1 August, Luton will be brought in line with the rest of the country after significant progress has been made in controlling the virus.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:

We’re constantly looking at the latest data on the spread of coronavirus, and unfortunately we’ve seen an increasing rate of transmission in parts of Northern England.

We’ve been working with local leaders across the region, and today I chaired a meeting of the Local Action Gold Committee. Based on the data, we decided that in Greater Manchester, parts of West Yorkshire and East Lancashire we need to take immediate action to keep people safe.

The spread is largely due to households meeting and not abiding to social distancing. So from midnight tonight, people from different households will not be allowed to meet each other indoors in these areas.

We take this action with a heavy heart, but we can see increasing rates of coronavirus across Europe and are determined to do whatever is necessary to keep people safe.

The restrictions currently in place in Blackburn, announced last Friday, which saw indoor swimming pools, indoor fitness and dance studios, indoor gyms and sports facilities remaining closed, will continue.

From Saturday, these leisure facilities will open in Luton, bringing it in line with the rest of the country.

We have been working closely with local leaders across Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and East Lancashire and have made the decision to bring in new restrictions on social gatherings for selected areas.

For those preparing to celebrate Eid Al Adha this weekend with friends and family these restrictions will come as a blow but everyone is being urged to follow the new rules and to protect the ones they love from catching coronavirus.

Mosques and other places of worship have reopened for prayer and communal worship, but in a different socially distanced and COVID-19 Secure way. This means that while mosques can remain open, many will not able to welcome as many worshippers as before.

Anyone with any symptoms must isolate immediately and get a test for free by going online or ringing 119. Everyone must continue to socially distance and regularly their wash hands to help bring this virus down further so all areas of Leicester can return to normal as soon as possible.

Notes to editors:

• Full guidance will be published on gov.uk/DHSC