For Baby’s Sake is a programme working therapeutically with families to break the cycle of domestic abuse and give babies the best start in life. Both parents join For Baby’s Sake during pregnancy, whether together as a couple or not, and are supported individually (each by their own Practitioner) up until the baby’s second birthday. The programme’s trauma-informed and attachment focused approach provides parents with what they want and need to make changes for themselves and their baby. They are empowered not to be defined by their past, and to become the parent and person they want to be. The therapeutic content and trusting relationship each parent builds with their practitioner, underpinned by robust multi-agency safeguarding, are key change mechanisms for achieving positive outcomes for all family members. Parents testify that the ‘inner child’ therapeutic core supports them ‘make peace with the past’ while the attachment-focused parenting content, including Video Interaction Guidance, supports parents to provide attuned, sensitive parenting and support their baby’s social, emotional and cognitive development, building foundations for learning, school readiness and life-long resilience.
Babies develop well, emotionally, socially and cognitively, in line with low risk groups. Other outcomes include reduced domestic abuse, improvements in parents’ emotional regulation and wellbeing, improved engagement with children’s services and other agencies and reduced safeguarding needs. A major evaluation by King’s College London, published in 2020, found For Baby’s Sake to be the first programme to address key limitations in whole-family responses to domestic abuse. For Baby’s Sake is influencing national understanding of what works. It won the 2021 Centre for Justice Innovation award for Family Justice. The programme won the CYPNow Safeguarding award for the partnership in Blackpool. Other areas where the programme operates include Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea. For Baby’s Sake featured in two National Safeguarding Practice Panel reports (notably for engaging fathers) and in Foundations (What Works for Children and Families) reports as one of few particularly promising programmes for children and families affected by DA.