PURPOSE:
To highlight the critical safeguarding gaps and health inequities faced by undocumented pregnant women, experiencing domestic abuse in the UK - who are routinely denied safety and dignity. The structural barriers they face are not incidental but embedded within policy, leading to exclusion from protection mechanisms afforded to other victims of abuse. This poster aims to raise awareness of the systemic health inequities they endure, examine the structural and legal barriers to safety, and outline the roles and responsibilities of midwives and the government in addressing this urgent issue.

DISCUSSION:
Women with an undocumented immigration status face a heightened risk of remaining in abusive relationships due to systematic exclusion from mainstream support services, including access to refuges. Without appropriate support interventions, many are forced into an impossible choice: stay with the perpetrator or face homelessness. The fear of destitution, street homelessness, or immigration consequences leaves many unable to seek help, heightening their risk of harm. For pregnant women, the concerns are even higher. Domestic abuse in pregnancy is linked to adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, yet safeguarding frameworks overlooks the compounded risks associated with undocumented status. These women are rendered largely invisible within systems designed to protect, as they rarely account for immigration-related barriers. While, midwives are uniquely positioned to identify and support victims of domestic abuse, many are unaware of the complex statutory thresholds that fail to accommodate the needs of this group. Without this understanding, opportunities to offer timely, trauma-informed interventions are missed.

EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
References available

KEY MESSAGE:
This poster challenges the current safeguarding infrastructure, advocating for systemic change that acknowledges immigration status as a key determinant of health. By centring the experiences of pregnant women, this poster calls for urgent policy review, training, and equitable, trauma-informed safeguarding pathways. Safety should never be conditional and pregnancy should not be a period of increased danger. Poster session 4 (Group B)