When maternity doesn't matter: Dispersing pregnant women seeking asylum

Asylum seekers receiving housing and subsistence support from the Home Office are routinely dispersed to areas outside London. Pregnant women seeking asylum have often been dispersed very late in their pregnancies, and in some cases very soon after delivery ( Reynolds and White, 2010 ; Beecher Bryant, 2011 ). A study carried out by Maternity Action and the Refugee Council ( Feldman, 2013 ) investigated the experiences of women who had been dispersed during pregnancy and of midwives involved in the care of such women. It found that dispersal policies and procedures failed to take account of the vulnerabilities and special needs of this group of women, despite recognition by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) that they required additional support ( NICE, 2010a ). Women found the experience of dispersal and its impact distressing. Dispersal interrupted established maternity care and left women without social and family support, and many gave birth alone. Midwives' efforts to create rapport and trust and to establish multiagency and specialist support were undermined. The study advocated radical changes in Home Office dispersal policy for pregnant women. This article is based on the findings and report of the larger study ( Feldman, 20 13).