Good Enough Parents? Exploring Attitudes of Family Centre Workers Supporting and Assessing Parents with Learning Difficulties

Abstract

An increasing number of adults with learning difficulties are becoming parents although there is no foundation for presuming they will inevitably neglect or abuse their children, some require additional support and services to enable them to provide safe and nurturing environments for their children. This growing area of practice is clearly complex; however, whilst studies have found that parents with learning difficulties are likely to suffer more stereotyping and be measured against harsher criteria than non-disabled parents, there is limited research to date on practitioners' views and experiences. With this in mind, the author carried out semi-structured interviews with six family centre workers employed by an East of England local authority. Findings highlight the highly emotional impact of this area of work and the complex layering of personal, professional, organisational and societal values and attitudes which affect their practice. A number of barriers to social justice and best practice are identified, including communication, access to services, specialist knowledge or resources and risk aversion; the author concludes with some suggestions for improving practice.

Good Enough Support? Exploring the Attitudes, Knowledge and Experiences of Practitioners in Social Services and Child Welfare Working with Mothers with Intellectual Disability

“…The participants were frustrated about their limited knowledge about parents with intellectual disability. Similarly Jones (), in her interviews with six workers employed in a family centre, discovered that practitioners have limited access to knowledge about parents with intellectual disability, partially due to a lack of interdisciplinary and interagency links. Gundersen et al .…”

“…Despite some specialized services being available, few mainstream parenting support services are accessible to mothers with intellectual disability (Tarleton et al 2006). Furthermore, attitudinal barriers such as negative and/ or stereotypical biases of service providers towards mothers with intellectual disability, the lack of knowledge about this population and the limited knowledge of available supports for mothers with intellectual disability further affect the quality of service provided (McConnell & Sigurj onsd orttir 2010; Tarleton & Porter 2012;Jones 2013). Yet research on practitioners' views and experiences is rather limited (Jones 2013).…”

“…Furthermore, attitudinal barriers such as negative and/ or stereotypical biases of service providers towards mothers with intellectual disability, the lack of knowledge about this population and the limited knowledge of available supports for mothers with intellectual disability further affect the quality of service provided (McConnell & Sigurj onsd orttir 2010; Tarleton & Porter 2012;Jones 2013). Yet research on practitioners' views and experiences is rather limited (Jones 2013). Clayton et al (2008) surveyed 58 practitioners experienced in working with mothers with intellectual disability.…”

“…The participants were frustrated about their limited knowledge about parents with intellectual disability. Similarly Jones (2013), in her interviews with six workers employed in a family centre, discovered that practitioners have limited access to knowledge about parents with intellectual disability, partially due to a lack of interdisciplinary and interagency links. Gundersen et al (2013) interviewed 19 child welfare workers and, due to participants' stereotyped opinions about mothers with intellectual disability, called for increased knowledge about intellectual disability among child welfare workers.…”

Street-level bureaucracy and categorization processes in social workers’ encounters with parents who have financial and cognitive difficulties

“…Börjesson, Palmblad, and Wahl 2005;Kullberg and Cedersund 2001) has noted that the dynamic between the client and the social worker is often affected by the client's manifested will to improve the situation. Given the demands often posed by social services on the clients' ability to plan economically and show initiatives in relation to finding work (or other means of self-sufficiency) and not least to propriety and conscientiousness in financial matters, there is a risk that cognitive difficulties, which often affect executive functions, memory and concentration, can be misinterpreted as lack of attention or negligence which in turn may reduce the possibility to obtain proper support (see also Jones 2013;Fernqvist 2018). The first meeting between the client and the social worker, and the latter's perception of the client and how this may govern following interventions, is therefore a crucial part of the process.…”