A focus on fathers with intellectual disabilities and child protection

Abstract

ObjectiveThe article presents research findings whose aim was to understand the lived experiences of fathers with intellectual disabilities referring to child protection proceedings they were involved in as fathers and the meanings ascribed to these experiences.BackgroundParents with intellectual disabilities face a high risk of having their children removed and being involved in child protection procedures. The overwhelming majority of studies focus on mothers. Little do we know about fathers' perspective.MethodThis study applies a qualitative approach, using in‐depth interviews and interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore the experiences of 14 fathers with intellectual disabilities who were involved in child protection procedures concerning their children. To allow a deeper understanding of the lived experience of the participants, it includes both fathers who lost custody of their children or were threatened with loss of custody.ResultsIn the process of analysis, four main themes emerged: (a) adverse experiences, (b) a range of emotions—between despair and giving up, (c) lack of control, and (d) advocacy in promoting their own rights.ConclusionFathers with intellectual disabilities reported being discriminated against on the basis of sex and disability in child protection procedures. Nonetheless, they were determined to fight for their parental rights.ImplicationsIt is important to focus on gender in research into parenting by people with intellectual disabilities. This will create an opportunity to learn about the needs and problems of mothers and fathers and to provide adequate support.

The science of families: Nurturing hope, happiness, and health

“…The collection includes a review article (Y. Wang & He, 2024), two quantitative studies (Armah et al, 2024;Kang et al, 2024), three qualitative works ( Cwirynkało & Parchomiuk, 2024;Daniel, 2024;A. Liu et al, 2024), and one evaluation study (Avey et al, 2024).…”

“…Fathers face other issues. For example, Cwirynkało and Parchomiuk (2024) explored the lived experiences of fathers with intellectual disabilities when interacting with child protective services in Poland. Consistent with the use of diverse social supports used by fathers in the Cwirynkało and Parchomiuk (2024) study, Augsberger et al (2021) suggested additional supports of persons with disabilities to include access to parenting programs and comprehensive services to address risk factors while promoting the parental strengths.…”