This book critically examines the experiences of mothers within risk-based child protection systems, highlighting their often-overlooked perspectives in academic literature and public discourse. While mothers are typically central to child protection investigations, their gendered challenges and successes are rarely acknowledged. The chapters delve into the structural and lived experiences of mothers facing various issues, including substance abuse, HIV status, child injuries, fetal alcohol syndrome, colonial assessment methods, young age, incarceration, childbirth, and intimate partner violence. The anthology makes three significant contributions to the field: it amplifies mothers' voices, emphasizes their subjective experiences in safeguarding children, and contests prevailing dehumanizing narratives about them. By providing a more nuanced understanding of mothers' lives, the book calls for a reevaluation of how they are perceived in child protection research, policy, and practice. It advocates for the centrality of mothers' voices in reforming child protection systems to ensure a more humane approach.
