A woman has had 17 children taken from her care by social services during the course of her life.
The authority concerned, Newcastle City Council, would not divulge personal details about the Tyneside mother. The woman is thought to be in her late 40s.
The council is working with the charity Barnado's on the Pause project to help cut the number of youngsters being taken into care.
The case has brought to fore the chaotic circumstances experienced by some women struggling to cope with families.
According to Barnardo's, the most common reasons for withdrawing children from their homes are domestic abuse, drug and alcohol problems and mental health issues.
According to a report in The Daily Telegraph, Sian Bufton, of Barnardo's, said the mother of 17 “would likely have had difficulties such as domestic abuse, mental health problems, a chaotic lifestyle, possibly substance misuse”.
In 2013 the number of UK babies taken into care at birth was 2,018, up from 802 in 2008.
The Vulnerable Birth Mothers and Recurrent Care Proceedings study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, discovered that between 2007 and 2014, 13,248 newborns were removed by authorities, the report said.
