Information for Professionals
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Articles
Conference/seminar presentations
Government policies and guidance
Positive practice for working with parents - protocols, pathways and guidance
Publications by the Norah Fry Research Centre
SCIE publications
Articles
| Date | Content | Author/s | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2007 |
Sinking or Swimming? Supporting parents with learning disabilities and their children
Learning Disability Review, Volume 12, Issue 2, April 2007 published by Pavilion Journal homepage |
Linda Ward and Beth Tarleton |
Sinking or Swimming (pdf file 109KB) |
| Feb 2007 |
Small steps to perfect parenting. Advice for learning disabled people aims to reduce the need for their children to be taken into care
Features the Family Welfare Association, one of the partners in the Working Together with Parents Network. The Guardian |
Fay Wertheimer | Small steps to perfect parenting |
| Jan/Feb 2007 |
Supported parenting.
Viewpoint magazine |
Beth Tarleton | Supported parenting (pdf file 735KB) |
Conference/seminar presentation slides
| Date | Content | Author/s | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 2007 |
WTWPN Network Meeting
Working Together when parents have learning disabilities |
Family Welfare Association | Working Together when parents have learning disabilities (pdf 153KB) |
| June 2007 |
WTWPN Network Meeting
What works with parents with learning disabilities and their children |
Sue McGaw | What works with parents with learning disabilities (pdf file 5659KB) |
| June 2007 |
WTWPN Network Meeting
Good Practice Guidance on working with parents with a learning disability |
Rob Greig | Good Practice Guidance (pdf file 489KB) |
|
Dec 2006 |
SWA Working in Partnership towards Solutions, Manchester conference 1 December 2006. Presentation slides - Assessing Parents with Learning Disabilities |
Sue McGaw |
Government policies and guidance
| Date | Content | Author/s | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ongoing |
The Children, Families and Maternity Team monthly e-bulletin.
This provides regular updates on activities that are supporting the delivery of the 'Be Healthy' outcome for children, young people and families through Every Child Matters: Change for Children agenda |
Department of Health | Children, Families and Maternity Bulletin |
| Feb 2010 |
Prioritising need in the context of Putting People First: A whole system approach to eligibility for social care
Guidance on Eligibility Criteria for Adult Social Care |
Department of Health | Prioritising need in the context of Putting People First (pdf file 539KB) |
| 2008 |
The Suffolk ACCORD
ACCORD stands for Adult and Children's services Co-ordination of services which sets out Suffolk's approach to supporting families where a parent has a disability or additional support needs. |
Sue Glazer, Suffolk County Council | Protocol (pdf file 344KB) |
| 2008 |
Parental Learning Disability and Children's Needs: Family Experiences and Effective Practice
Executive summary |
Hedy Cleaver and Donald Nicholson, Royal Holloway, University of London - DCSF | Parental Learning Disability and Children's Needs (pdf file 294KB) |
| March 2008 |
A Life Like Any Other? Human Rights of Adults with Learning Disabilities Chapter 6 Parenting and family life |
House of Lords, House of Commons Joint Committee on Human Rights | |
| June 2007 |
Good Practice Guidance on working with parents with a learning disability Good practice guidance, including a summary of relevant legislation and policy, on how adult and children's services should work together to improve support to parents with a learning disability and their children |
Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills | Good Practice Guidance on working with parents with a learning disability (pdf file 689KB) |
| Nov 2006 |
Sure Start Children's Centres Practice Guidance.
This section includes working with disabled parents and specifically mentions parents with learning disabilities. |
Department for Education and Skills and Department of Health |
Practice Guidance Sections 14-21 (pdf file 1MB)
For full Practice Guidance click for Sure Start website |
| July 2006 | Independent Living Strategy | Office for Disability Issues HM Government | Independent Living Strategy |
| Dec 2002 |
Protocol on advice and advocacy for parents (child protection)
The Department of Health provided funding to the authors to develop a model protocol which can be used by those responsible for designing and delivering child protection services in England and Wales |
Bridget Lindley and Martin Richards | Protocol on advice and advocacy for parents (child protection) (pdf file 140KB) |
Resources
|
Date |
Content |
Author/s |
Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 2009 | Marie has already lost custody of two sons. Her determination to show she can be a good mother to one year old Charlie, despite her learning difficulties, is put to its final test at the Family Court. A short film from the ISIS Film Project. |
Directed by Ana Tovey
Camera - Olivia Emes British Institute of Human Rights |
Mother's Day |
| October 2008 | Facts and figures about parents with learning disabilities in England | Working Together with Parents Network | Facts and figures about parents with learning disabilities (pdf file 37KB) |
| March 2008 | Response to the consultation on Valuing People Now. Section 12.4: Parents with a learning disability | Linda Ward on behalf of the Working Together with Parents Network | Response to the consultation on Valuing People Now (pdf file 57KB) |
| Oct 2007 | Review of research commissioned by Community Care for their online information service - Community Care Inform | Linda Ward | Supporting parents with learning disabilities and their children (pdf file 63KB) |
| Aug 2007 | Submission to the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights | Working Together with Parents Network | Inquiry on Human Rights and Adults with Learning Disabilities (pdf file 63KB) |
Positive practice for working with parents - protocols, pathways and guidance
| Date | Content | Author/s | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2009 |
The Parenting Toolkit was created by parents in London, on the basis of their own experiences of what is needed by families where a parent has a learning disability. The Toolkit aims to help members of local Partnership Boards know what they should be doing to ensure parents get the help they need. |
London Network of Parents with Learning Difficulties
Elfrida Society Valuing People Team |
Parenting Toolkit: Helping Partnership Boards meet the needs of people with learning difficulties (pdf file 1,413KB) |
| 2007 |
The Parent Assessment Manual (PAM) is a comprehensive, assessment tool for use with vulnerable families, including parents with learning disabilities. Based on the Parental Knowledge-Skills-Practice Model the PAM provides professionals with a structured and practical approach to the assessment of parents and their children (0-19 years). It is a PC software CD-Rom application which includes Clinical Assessment forms, Worksheets, Graphical Parent Summary and Profiles PAM 2.00 now available |
Sue McGaw |
For further information and how to order the: |
| July 2007 |
An evaluation of the Family Welfare Association's family support service Building Bridges. This model is used for services supporting parents with learning disabilities although they do not feature in this evaluation. |
Jenny Morris |
Building Bridges (pdf file 698KB)
Building Bridges summary (pdf file 44KB) |
| March 2007 | Pregnancy and Disability - Royal College of Nursing Guidance for midwives and nurses. This guidance is for nurses and midwives who encounter disabled women and contribute to their childbearing experience | Jackie Rotheram | Pregnancy and Disability - RCN Guidance for midwives and nurses (pdf file 398KB) |
| 2006 | Checklist for Ensuring Good Social Work Practice 2006 | Helen Tyers, Independent Social Worker and Researcher | Checklist for ensuring good SW practice (pdf file 47KB) |
| 2004 |
Learning Curves - A good practice manual for practitioners commissioned by the Norfolk Local Safeguarding Children Board (formerly known as the Norfolk Area Child Protection Committee) following the death of a baby whose mother had learning disabilities.
It contains a range of materials designed to support those involved in the assessment of families where one or both parents have learning disabilities. |
Penny Morgan and Andy Goff |
The pdf document can be found in the documents and guidance section of the Norfolk Local Safeguarding Children Board website.
Hard copies are available from Paul Shreeve, The Pineapple, 63 Bracondale, Norwich, NR1 2EE. (Price £8 incl. p&p.) Please make cheques payable to Norfolk County Council. |
Publications by the Norah Fry Research Centre
| Date | Content | Author/s | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2009 | This booklet tells the stories of six families headed by a parent or parents with learning disabilities or difficulties, from England, Wales and Scotland, who have been enabled - with the right support from professionals - to look after their children and safeguard their welfare. | Working Together with Parents Network | Supporting parents with learning disabilities and difficulties. Stories of positive practice (pdf file 933KB) |
| Dec 2008 | A research report for the NSPCC containing guidance for the development of materials and activities to promote positive parenting and safeguarding by parents with learning difficulties. | Anna Marriott and Beth Tarleton | Finding the Right Help (pdf file 483 KB) |
| May 2007 | Resources, further reading and useful organisations | Compiled by Jenny Morris and Beth Tarleton | Resources, reading and organisations (pdf file 121KB) |
|
2006 |
A review of issues and positive practice in supporting parents with learning difficulties and their children |
Beth Tarleton, Linda Ward and Joyce Howarth |
Finding the Right Support. Finding the Right Support |
| Sep 2006 | An evaluation of the North East Parent Support (NEPS) service and the Walsall Parents' Advocacy service | Beth Tarleton | Providing the Right Support (Project Summary) (pdf file 324 KB) |
SCIE publications
| Date | Content | Author/s | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2007 | How to develop inter-agency protocols to support families in which parents have additional needs related to physical and/or sensory impairments, learning disabilities, mental health, drug and alcohol-related problemss or serious illnesses. | Jenny Morris and Michele Wates | Resource Guide 9: Working together to support disabled parents (pdf file 427KB) |
|
Nov 2006 |
A review about parents with physical and/or sensory impairments, learning difficulties, mental health problems, long-term illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, and drug or alcohol problems. Its main focus is on social care, but integral to this are the relationships between social care and health, housing and education |
Jenny Morris and Michele Wates
|
Knowledge Review 11: Supporting disabled parents and parents with additional support needs (pdf file 1300KB) |
| Feb 2005 | Helping parents with learning disabilities in their role as parents | SCIE | SCIE research briefing 14: Helping parents with learning disabilities in their role as parents (pdf file 91KB) |