Abstract

Child Protection and Parents with a Learning Disability provides the practical knowledge that professionals need in order to understand common intellectual disabilities and how they might affect parenting capability.

It presents clear guidance on how to carry out effective assessments and explains how interventions might differ when working with parents who have a learning disability. It covers a broad spectrum of disabilities, including borderline conditions and Autism Spectrum Disorder. The book also explores a number of emotional and mental health issues that can occur alongside learning disabilities, such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, and attachment disorders, to show how they should be understood in the context of cognitive abilities and the parenting role.

Empowering practitioners to make informed decisions about children's welfare, this is a must-have guide for all professionals working with families where a parent is affected by a learning disability.

Penny Morgan is a Consultant Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, who has specialised in the field of learning disabilities since 1978. She was one of the first psychologists in the country to be involved in completing parenting assessments. As part of her work, she has consulted with and advised social work teams, lectured at conferences across the country and taught on the social work qualification courses at the University of East Anglia. She lives in East Anglia, UK.
Penny Morgan's book provides a detailed insight into the lives of parents with learning disabilities, borderline learning disabilities, mental health support needs and autism. It clearly describes these groups of parents' vulnerability, individuality and the complexity of their situations, while also providing workers with an understanding of the types of issues that these parents may well face. A wide range of strategies that workers can use to make their practice more effective and enabling are provided. This book should be read by the wide range of practitioners, including frontline parenting support workers and health professionals as well as child protection professionals, who work with parents so that services are able to respond to the needs of these vulnerable groups of parents.
Beth Tarleton, Norah Fry Research Centre
An invaluable guide for social workers working with learning disabled parents in the child protection context, providing an in depth analysis as to how learning disability can affect parenting and how best to engage with and find the right support for the client. The book is full of practical tips on how to make learning a positive and non-threatening experience, and how to plan and deliver an appropriate assessment. It also provides a very useful reference tool for the family lawyer tasked with considering whether their client has been assessed fairly and sensitively and given an opportunity to change within an informed and 'managed' framework.
Abigail Bond, Barrister at St John’s Chambers and Author of 'Care Proceedings and Learning Disabled Parents'