The role of adult social care for parents with learning disabilities when a child is no longer in their care

Introduction

A local authority takes parents to court when there are major concerns about children’s safety. Over the past 20 years there has been a sharp increase in the number of children taken into local authority care. Between 40 and 60 per cent of parents with a learning disability have their children removed. Many parents, with and without learning disabilities, who are in this position have experienced a great deal of abuse in their lives. They are also vulnerable to further abuse. This is no different for those parents with learning disabilities, but they face additional problems.

It is not known how many parents have a learning disability, but researchers have found that most parents who have learning disabilities that could be described as ‘mild’ so they may not be able to get adult social care and support. More general services they may use, such as help from a housing provider, do not always provide support for parents who have lost the care of their child. Although there is no right to support for any parent whose child is permanently removed, in recent years special services have been set up in some areas. The suitability of these services for parents with learning disabilities has not been examined. This means we do not know if these parents use the services and the difference, if any, they make to their well-being. There is government guidance on the links that should be made with local authority adult social care departments after a parent with learning disabilities has had a child removed permanently, but many professionals believe this guidance is rarely applied in the way that it should be and that these parents continue to fall through a gap between adult and children’s services.

Objectives

The aim of the project was to examine the role of adult social care (ASC) when children are removed from parents with learning disabilities following child care proceedings.

Methods

A review of research found few references to the role of ASC. However, interviews with a purposefully wide range of individuals from different professions with an interest in this subject (n=83) helped to refine further the aspects that should be explored. These scoping interviews were followed by discussions in 24 English local authorities (LAs) with 73 professionals. This enabled us to identify LAs for eight in-depth case studies in which we interviewed 178 professionals from ASC and CSC, as well as representatives from Family Justice Boards, private and public law, advocacy services and intermediaries, and parents whose children had been removed.

Findings

Key messages from the research include:

• There was a very low awareness in adult social care (ASC) and children’s social care (CSC) of the Good Practice Guidance on Working with Parents with a Learning Disability; guidance should be developed in line with contemporary social work practice and in collaboration with practitioners.
• There was a lack of awareness amongst ASC and CSC social workers of the key legislation leading the practice in the other service.
• Working relationships between ASC and CSC were too heavily dependent on individuals and their own networks.
• There were examples of how ASC had engaged with parents throughout processes leading to removal of children but this was unusual and more common in the authority where there was an integrated learning disabilities team in ASC.
• These divisions produce a gap into which parents with learning disabilities may fall at any stage but specifically at the point when children are removed following childcare proceedings.

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