Overdoses in pregnancy as risk factor

["Peter Dale" <pdale@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Colleagues,

I'm involved in a fatal case review where it appears that a baby of a few
weeks old may have been fatally poisoned by parents with heroin (the
forensics of this have yet to be tested in the criminal trial).

However, a view has been expressed that an overdose in pregnancy by a
substance abusing woman should be seen as a high indicator of risk of later
maltreatment to the child once born.

Does anyone know of any research that substantiates this view?

TIA


Dr Peter Dale
work: mailto:pdale@nspcc.org.uk
home: mailto:pdale@kiama.freeserve.co.uk