Social Work Intervention Pathways within Child Protection: Responding to the Needs of Disabled Children in Ireland

Measuring parenting capacity for disabled children using a child protection assessment

“…It is well established, for instance, that disabled children can experience a significantly heightened risk of abuse and neglect than non-disabled peers (Flynn, 2019b(Flynn, , 2020Flynn & McGregor, 2017;Stalker et al, 2010;Stalker & McArthur, 2012;Sullivan & Knutson, 2000;Taylor et al, 2014;Vandermenden et al, 2017). To compound matters, the literature alludes to existing deficiencies and ineffectiveness in professional safeguarding practice with disabled children (Flynn & McGregor, 2017;Stalker et al, 2010;Vandermenden et al, 2017).…”

“…To compound matters, the literature alludes to existing deficiencies and ineffectiveness in professional safeguarding practice with disabled children (Flynn & McGregor, 2017;Stalker et al, 2010;Vandermenden et al, 2017). Internationally, this has entailed expressed lack of practitioner confidence, evidence of application of different thresholds, and alternative state care experiences for disabled children such as discrepancies in admission and placement longevity (Flynn, 2019b;Flynn & McGregor, 2017;Kelly & Dowling, 2015;Kelly et al, 2012;Sainero, et al, 2013;Vandermenden et al, 2017). In this context, safeguarding work is inhibited in a constellation of ways.…”

“…In this context, safeguarding work is inhibited in a constellation of ways. Problems discerning if the presenting concerns (like self-injurious behaviour or rapid weight loss) are due to abuse or impairment, as well as impediments to gathering credible accounts for court from children with learning difficulties or poor verbal articulacy, are illustrative of this (Crowley, 2016;Flynn, 2019bFlynn, , 2020Vandermenden et al, 2017). Moreover, it would seem that existing and substantial problems in safeguarding disabled children (Crowley, 2016;Vandermenden et al, 2017), impels integrated specialised knowledge and procedural guidance on safeguarding disabled children (Flynn, 2020).…”

“…The sustaining argument of this article is that practitioners are imperilled without adequate literature and research, on child protection and welfare social work parenting capacity assessment, with respect to parenting disabled children. Thus far, the case for this has been made by presenting the elevated risks associated with safeguarding disabled children, and the inherent complexity and exceptional challenges of the parental role, as set out in existing literature (Flynn, 2019b(Flynn, , 2020Flynn & McGregor, 2017;Stalker et al, 2010;Stalker & McArthur, 2012;Sullivan & Knutson, 2000;Taylor et al, 2014;Vandermenden et al, 2017). Moving forward, towards aiding social work practitioners with the oftentimes complex, unformulaic and non-linear task of parenting capacity assessment, three themes are presented and discussed in the following sections of the article.…”

“…Here, according to the IASSID Special Interest Research Group on Parents and Parenting with Intellectual Disability ( 2008), there are in excess of 400 published empirical studies on the subject matter of parenting with intellectual disability (McConnell & Pacheco, 2016), with contemporary knowledge grounded in research as far back as 1957 (Brandon, 1957;McConnell & Pacheco, 2016). Meanwhile, expanding international literature on elevated risk of neglect, abuse and inadequate safeguarding responses that disabled children can experience, supports heightened standards of practice (Brown, 2003;Crowley, 2016;Flynn, 2019bFlynn, , 2020Flynn & McGregor, 2017;Raymond, 2010;Stalker et al, 2010;Stalker & McArthur, 2012;Sullivan & Knutson, 2000;Taylor et al, 2014;Vandermenden et al, 2017). Perhaps, most germane to this was Sullivan and Knutson's (2000) seminal American research that placed disabled children at approximately 3.4 times more elevated risk of abuse and neglect than non-disabled peers.…”