Full Article - Published: 09/10/2009Written By: 01/01/1970

The learning-disabled parent support service is an exciting new community based pilot project that has recently been set up to support parents with learning disabilities.  

A joint bid by children and adult services has secured funding for a social worker and three family support workers across the two services, to work with families where either parent may have a learning disability that is impacting on their parenting ability.   

Emmerson et al’s (2005) survey showed that approximately 40 per cent of these parents did not have their children living with them, often due to their own complex needs being overlooked.  It was recognised that in the past many parents with learning disabilities did not meet the threshold for adult services and therefore did not receive the specialist and intensive support that they needed to parent confidently.  The new service aims to work with families to prevent breakdown by being proactive in providing a specialist assessment and individualised interventions.  

The project is community based and works with adults in their own homes and in their local community to build on their strengths as parents.  Where gaps in parenting capacity are identified, support is offered by the service through direct one to one intervention.   The aim of this support is to facilitate parents to develop their parenting skills at an early stage and to prevent initial contact being due to safeguarding concerns.   

Adults with learning disabilities have often identified that lack of appropriate support is perceived as a reason for the loss of their children to the care system (Tarleton et al, 2006) and in recognition of this adults receive an assessment of their own individual needs.  This assessment is the initial point of contact for families and aims to ensure that accessing appropriate support services is identified, which includes referrals to relevant adult, voluntary and health agencies.    

The new service works particularly closely with the ‘Shared Lives’ team based at Gun Wharf, who are able to provide experienced community workers to give emotional support, befriending and advocacy service for adults with learning disabilities.   This partnership working enables adults to feel supported as parents and individuals in their own right, which has led to the reduction of safeguarding concerns and legal processes for some of the families currently worked with.  This partnership work has also included support to adults who do not have the care of their children, but still need advocacy, emotional support and befriending through safeguarding or court proceedings.

As early intervention is vital, referrals are welcomed both in the antenatal and postnatal period. For an informal discussion regarding referral criteria, please contact Rosie Sturge on 01634 338686.