{"id":6789,"date":"2026-06-11T14:19:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T14:19:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/lawbulletin\/?p=6789"},"modified":"2026-06-11T15:10:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T15:10:44","slug":"new-research-project-funded-by-arts-and-humanities-research-council-rethinking-maternal-responsibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/lawbulletin\/2026\/06\/11\/new-research-project-funded-by-arts-and-humanities-research-council-rethinking-maternal-responsibility\/","title":{"rendered":"New research project funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council: ‘Rethinking Maternal Responsibility’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dr Charlotte Bishop<\/a> from the University of Exeter Law School is the Primary Investigator for a new research project, Rethinking Maternal Responsibility: Prosecuting \u2018Failures to Protect\u2019 and the Criminalisation of Domestic Abuse Victim-Survivors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two year project is funded by a \u00a3302,000 Catalyst Award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council<\/a>, which supports established researchers to lead their first large research project. Dr Bishop will investigate how mothers are held criminally responsible when children are harmed or killed in the context of domestic abuse focusing on the use of the \u2018failure-to-protect\u2019 offence under Section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. Originally introduced to enable prosecutions where it was unclear which adult caused a child\u2019s death, this offence has raised concerns for its disproportionate use to criminalise mothers, particularly those who are themselves victims of coercive control and abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although these are criminal prosecutions, they cannot be understood in isolation from the wider legal and policy landscape. In particular, the project recognises the inseparable nature of criminal justice, family court proceedings, and public child protection systems in this context. These overlapping systems can generate profound tensions and impossible choices: mothers may remain in abusive situations to protect their children from greater risks \u2013 such as unsupervised contact with abusive parents \u2013 but at the same time child protection frameworks often place responsibility on mothers to prevent harm, creating the risk of children being removed if they are seen to have failed to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I\u2019m delighted to receive this funding to carry out work that addresses the criminalisation of mothers in the context of domestic abuse \u2013 an issue with far-reaching and often devastating consequences. When mothers are prosecuted or imprisoned, the impact extends well beyond the individual case, affecting children, families, and communities over the long term. It\u2019s especially significant to see feminist, critical work of this kind being recognised and supported by a research council, and I hope the project will help drive more informed and just approaches in law and policy.<\/em><\/p>\nDr Charlotte Bishop<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Using an intersectional feminist framework, legal analysis and qualitative methods the project will analyse prosecution patterns, legal judgments, and professional narratives to understand how blame and responsibility are constructed in these cases. It will also explore how factors such as coercive control, poverty, racism, and institutional failings shape both mothers\u2019 actions and how those actions are judged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside its academic outputs, the project includes participatory workshops with survivors and practitioners, leading to the co-creation of a short film. This creative element will translate research findings into an accessible and impactful format, designed to engage professionals, policymakers, and the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By explicitly addressing the intersections between criminal justice, family law, and child protection, the project aims to generate impact across all three spheres, supporting more context-sensitive understandings of maternal responsibility and contributing to more just and effective responses to domestic abuse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A two year project led by Dr Charlotte Bishop<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":263,"featured_media":6791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew research project funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council: 'Rethinking Maternal Responsibility' - Exeter Law School<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/lawbulletin\/2026\/06\/11\/new-research-project-funded-by-arts-and-humanities-research-council-rethinking-maternal-responsibility\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New research project funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council: 'Rethinking Maternal Responsibility' - 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