A lot of relay boxes will both detect the switch position and toggle the power, so you should be able to get rid of all smart plugs that you were planning to use for this light.

The relay should have these connections:

• Live input from breaker box
• Neutral (both from breaker box and to socket)
• Switched live output to socket
• Connection to one side of the manual switch
• Connection to the other side of the manual switch

You may have better luck with a smart zigbee switch to replace the switch. Be careful that it complies with your local regulations etc.

If you want the aesthetic of the current switch, you can alternatively get relay modules which would sit in the box behind the switch and connect both to the switch and the socket.

If you don’t want to mess with the in wall wiring, you can get covers that sit over a wall switch and contain/mount a battery smart switch.

If none of that suits, sounds like you’re on the right track with powering the light from a non switched socket and using the presence/absence of a second device to identify the switch position. But I don’t have advice on the fine details.

It would be interesting to know how much of this is because the same factors which trigger care proceedings are also likely to harm the mother, and how much is because the care proceedings cause the harm. Either way, it’s a big number and clearly more support needs to be available.

I think we also have to remember that the care proceedings are there to protect the child, and in theory are already a last resort after support has failed. Though I’m sure there’s work to be done to improve that in practice.