A Royal College has recognised what survivors already knew

Sep 4

3 min read

A note before you read: this piece discusses childhood sexual abuse and its effects. It does not contain graphic detail. If you find this difficult, please look after yourself and step away if you need to.

In August 2026, the Royal College of Psychiatrists published a new position statement on the impact of childhood sexual abuse on the mental health of adults. It was co-produced with survivors, and it does something Royal Colleges rarely do. It apologises.

The College acknowledges that many people have suffered avoidable harm as adults because the care they needed was not there.

It points out that childhood sexual abuse is far from rare, with an estimated one in five girls and one in ten boys affected. And it calls for the NHS and healthcare systems across the UK to develop better training, guidelines, services and care pathways, built on trauma-informed care that understands the whole person and their history.

I want to be clear about what the statement is, and what it is not.

It speaks about adult survivors across healthcare, not about maternity alone. But its central message lands squarely in the birth room, and it puts the weight of a Royal College behind something survivors, and the people who support them, have understood for a long time.

Because pregnancy and birth are not neutral events.

For many survivors, aspects of maternity care can echo earlier experiences of powerlessness and loss of control. Being examined, being touched, exposure of the body, pain, and the feeling of being unable to say no can bring memories or trauma responses to the surface. Sometimes years later. Sometimes for the first time. And it is not only about the birth. Becoming a parent can bring the past forward too, long after the abuse itself.

So I welcome this statement.

And I want to say the harder part out loud.

Recognition is not the same as change. A position statement does not, by itself, alter what happens to a woman in a room at two in the morning. The College itself calls for better training and clearer pathways, and that is an honest admission that awareness has to be turned into practice. The gap between knowing and doing is exactly where survivors are still let down.

The principle I hold onto is this.

Good care should not depend on a woman disclosing her history first. Not everyone will feel ready or safe enough to share, and for some, pregnancy or new parenthood is the very moment they begin to understand their own experiences differently. We can still protect dignity, choice and control, whether or not we ever know someone's story.

This is the work SAFER Birth exists to do.

This blog is where I explore why it matters. The training is where maternity teams gain the skills to put it into practice. And alongside women themselves, I offer preparation and support that works alongside their care.

A Royal College has now said this out loud. The task in front of all of us is to make it real.

One woman, one appointment, one birth at a time.

SAFER Birth offers information and awareness. It is not therapy, clinical advice, or a substitute for training.

If this speaks to your service, you can learn about the training. If you are preparing for your own birth, you can find out about support.

If you have been affected by anything here, support is available. Rape Crisis England and Wales, The Survivors Trust, and Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) offer specialist help for anyone affected by sexual violence, whether recently or in the past. The Birth Trauma Association and Birthrights offer support and information around birth. In a crisis, contact your GP, call Samaritans on 116 123, or call 999 in an emergency.

Source: Royal College of Psychiatrists, position statement on the mental health of adult survivors of non-recent child sexual abuse, published 26 August 2026.

The application to maternity and birth is SAFER Birth's own.