The Prevalence and Outcomes of Care Proceedings Involving Parents with Learning Difficulties in the Family Courts

Abstract

Background Parents with learning difficulties are known to face a high risk of losing their children. This paper reports findings from a study designed to throw light on the numbers of parents with learning difficulties and their children coming before the Family Courts in Children Act proceedings and what happened to them as a result.Method The paper presents descriptive information on the characteristics of the parents and children, the basis of professional concerns in these cases, and details of the final outcomes and placement decisions extracted from a documentary review of court files. Results Parents with learning difficulties were found to be disproportionately represented in care proceedings and their children were significantly more likely to be freed for adoption than the children of any other group of parents. Conclusions On the basis of the research evidence, parents with learning difficulties appear to be treated more harshly because of their disability, raising the question of the interface between disability discrimination legislation and the Children Act in such cases.

Parentalité et déficience intellectuelle : exploration des représentations sociales des intervenants impliqués

“…Cette ambigüité peut entraver la performance, atténuer la motivation, générer un sentiment d'insatisfaction au travail et rendre la prise de décision plus difficile (Truchot, 2004). Une collaboration interprofessionnelle et interorganisationnelle efficiente est pourtant perçue tel un facteur important de la préservation de la famille (Booth, Booth et McConnell, 2005a;2005b;McConnell, 2008;Spath, Werrbach et Pine, 2008).…”

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

“…Research indicates that parents with learning difficulties are disproportionately represented in care proceedings: they are more likely to be involved in child protection investigations, be subject to a care application and are more likely to lose their children than any other group of parents (Booth, Booth, and McConnell 2005). The pressure upon families headed by parents with learning difficulties looks set to increase, as the government has recently announced its intention to accelerate the adoption process (DfE 2011(DfE , 2012 notwithstanding research findings which suggest that the temporal factors inherent in care proceedings already discriminate against them (Booth, McConnell, and Booth 2006).…”

Definition and Prevalence

“…In their review of court proceeding in the United States and abroad, several researchers have found that parents with intellectual disabilities are overrepresented in child welfare proceedings. They are treated more harshly, and lose custody of their children at a significantly greater rate than do other adjudicated families, even those with other disabilities, including substance abuse or mental health disorders (Booth, Booth, & McConnell, 2005;Llewellyn, McConnell, & Ferronato, 2003;). Concerns about neglect or abuse, and assumptions that parenting deficits cannot be remedied, precipitated many removals of children.…”