The role of formal support in the lives of children of mothers with intellectual disability

Abstract

Family support services need to apply a child focus to improve the well-being of children in vulnerable families.

The double‐edged sword of vulnerability: Explaining the persistent challenges for practitioners in supporting parents with intellectual disabilities

“…Practitioners, however, must balance promoting this right with the right that children have to be protected from harm. One way would be to adopt a preventative model that prioritizes early intervention, while acknowledging that support is likely to be required on a long-term basis, particularly at key points of transition (Collings et al, 2017;Stewart, MacIntyre, & McGregor, 2016;Stmadova et al, 2017). However, the resource implications of achieving this balance, particularly in times of austerity, are challenging as a result of the introduction of tighter eligibility criteria as a way to ration access to services (Lymberry, 2012).…”

“…They suggest that it involves promoting family decision-making capabilities and competencies with an overall aim of strengthening family functioning and well-being. Parents themselves talk positively about family-centred practice (Collings et al, 2017) and are more likely to be favourable to interventions carried out in this way (Wade et al, 2007). Parents themselves talk positively about family-centred practice (Collings et al, 2017) and are more likely to be favourable to interventions carried out in this way (Wade et al, 2007).…”

“…The evidence base for such programmes is growing, and they have been shown to improve parent and child interactions, child development, behaviour and language acquisition for children and the well-being, effectiveness, self-esteem and confidence of parents (Macbeth et al, 2015;Puckering, MacIntosh, Hickey, & Longford, 2010;Scourfield, Cheung, & McDonald, 2014). Wade et al (2007), Aunos and Pacheco (2013), Llewellyn and McConnell (2010) and Collings, Grace, and Llewellyn (2017), among others have argued that family-centred practices that harness strengths and preferences and promote collaborative decision making are crucial when working with parents with intellectual disabilities. Crucially, Wade et al (2007) argue that since the late 1990s, there has been a shift from professional-centred to family-centred practice with an emphasis on family strengths and supports rather than exclusively child focused approaches to intervention.…”

“…Family-centred practice that facilitates parental involvement and early intervention has been found to lead to better developmental outcomes for children (Dunst et al, 2002). Parents themselves talk positively about family-centred practice (Collings et al, 2017) and are more likely to be favourable to interventions carried out in this way (Wade et al, 2007). Crucially, family-centred practice recognizes that relational qualities (such as respect for families) and participatory qualities (such as home-based interventions and accessible assessment processes) are as important as educational interventions.…”

Parents and parenting with intellectual disabilities: An expanding field of research

“…In this special issue, and in a study reminiscent of Tim and Wendy Booth's seminal work on the topic (Booth & Booth, ), Wołowicz‐Ruszkowska and McConnell report that the experience and perceived threat of peer and other social exclusion emerged as a central theme in the life reviews of 23 Polish adult children to mothers with intellectual disabilities. This paper, and the paper by Collings, Grace, and Llewellyn also address the role of social support for the child. Wołowicz‐Ruszkowska and McConnell highlight the role of informal support (or lack thereof), especially the support of grandparents, in shaping childhood experience and the meanings children ascribe to maternal intellectual disability.…”