New mum had 'lack of support' before death

The family describe Fern as very articulate, bright, kind and caring and someone who left a lasting impression with everyone she met.

A coroner ruled that a lack of support contributed to a 22-year-old mum taking her own life.

Fern Foster, from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, had autism and died in July 2020 after being informed that her six-month-old baby girl might be placed for adoption by social services.

The county's senior coroner Crispin Butler said: "The lack of an independent advocacy on a regular, consistent and constant basis, not just for meetings, but for communication with the Child Protection Services, was needed."

Buckinghamshire Council said it would reflect upon the outcomes of the inquest and respond to the coroner upon the matters raised.

Recording the cause of death as suicide the senior coroner for Buckinghamshire said the aspiring English teacher died as a result of taking poison.

Fern’s child had gone into foster care almost a month after she was born, in January 2020, after the support her family believed she was entitled to was not put into place.

Her sister Rowan Foster said: “We continue to believe that, in refusing to provide the advocacy, support and the reasonable adjustments Fern was entitled to, Buckinghamshire Council cost Fern her life and a baby her mother.

"With the right support, Fern would have become a wonderful mother.”

Several agencies, including Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Buckinghamshire Council social services, had contact with Fern in the months before her death, but the coroner said it was probably the case that no one agency had a complete understanding of Fern’s needs.

Rowan Foster (left) has spoken on behalf of the family, including her mother (right)

Beaconsfield Coroners Court was told that when Fern found out she was pregnant the news changed her outlook on life.

While she was pregnant, and up to the point of her child being taken from her, she did not engage in any self-harming or other behaviour that would put her, or her baby, at risk.

However, in March 2020 the court heard she made several attempts to take her life and she said she would kill herself once the adoption of her child was confirmed.

The court heard that Fern herself said “she was set up to fail” and she had described the process that ultimately led to her child being taken out of her care as a “runaway train”.

No communication plan had been put in place and the coroner said the manner in which the adoption plans were communicated to her also contributed to her death.

The plans were emailed to her partner by his solicitor and when Fern was told, she had no physical professional support around her to help her cope with the distress this caused.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Fern’s sister, Rowan, said: “The right of autistic parents to access the support they deserve is not adequately protected in policy or law.

"It is imperative that this changes and that autistic parents are protected in future.”