Join Michael as he explores the disturbing reality of parents or step-parents killing their own children, shedding light on the term "filicide" and its various forms such as neonaticide and infanticide. Through research findings and expert insights, the episode explores the motives behind filicide, ranging from altruistic reasons to revenge and emphasises the importance of understanding the underlying factors to prevent future tragedies. Overall, the episode serves as a thought-provoking exploration of a tragic and sensitive topic, urging for greater awareness and prevention efforts to protect children from harm.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• On average, 58 children in the UK are killed by family members, parents, or step-parents each year, highlighting the alarming frequency of child deaths at the hands of those expected to care for them.

• Filicide, the killing of one's child, is a disturbing reality that prompts questions about the motives and circumstances that lead to such heinous acts.

• Mental illness plays a significant role in cases of filicide, with a study showing that 37% of perpetrators were suffering from a form of mental illness, emphasising the need for further research and understanding in this area.

• Different motives for filicide include altruistic reasons, fatal abuse or ill-treatment, unwanted children, psychotic states, and revenge, shedding light on the complex psychological factors at play.

• Factors such as mental health issues, relationship breakdowns, domestic violence, substance misuse, and child abuse often coincide in cases of filicide, underscoring the importance of identifying and addressing these risk factors to prevent future tragedies.

BEST MOMENTS

"I was stunned by that statistic because even as a social worker who has worked with children over many years, the frequency or rate of children being killed was conspicuous."

"Filicide refers to the killing of one's son or daughter. As a result of doing this research, I was introduced to more words that I had hitherto not known about."

"In a study involving 297 cases of convicted philicides and 45 cases of philicide suicides in England and Wales between January 1997 and December 2006, it was revealed that there was an over-representation of mental illness in cases of philicide."

"Philip J. Resnick, a well-known forensic psychiatrist, found that neonaticidal mothers are often unmarried women with unwanted pregnancies who receive no prenatal care."

"Gaining as clear a picture as possible about the circumstances, reasons and factors that lead parents to perpetrate filicide are of critical significance if we are to prevent and lessen future unnecessary child deaths."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

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HOST BIO

Michael Watson is a qualified social worker and author with over thirty years of experience working with children and families. As an expert in family court, Michael is in a key position to assist, advise, and coach parents through their private law family proceedings and provide them with the information and skills to represent themselves successfully in court. His two books, ‘How to Represent Yourself in Family Court’, and ‘FAMILY COURT: Giving Evidence In Family Court’, provide parents with a clearer understanding of family court proceedings, legislation, and parenting skills.