Learning Disability Awareness Week is a powerful moment to celebrate progress, amplify voices, and shine a spotlight on the tools and communities driving change.
Led by Research in Practice at the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), the Working Together with Parents Network is dedicated to improving support for parents with learning disabilities and learning difficulties.
What are the challenges for parents with learning disabilities and learning difficulties?
These parents often face barriers that can be compounded by a lack of joined-up services or understanding of parent's needs. Late identification of parents learning needs means parenting assessments and parenting support services are often not tailored to people’s specific needs. Research shows there is an over-representation of parents with learning disabilities and learning difficulties within child protection proceedings and that these parents have their children disproportionately removed from their care.
We also know that non-specialist practitioners often feel unsupported in their role with these parents and have a lack training and understanding of the issues of working with this group effectively. This is where the network can help.
Working together with parents
The Working Together with Parents Network supports professionals working with parents with learning disabilities and learning difficulties, and their children.
We engage with key professional stakeholders from adult and children’s social care, education, health, legal, and independent advocacy sectors to work towards a common vision and effective ways of joint working. The network offers practical, open access resources to help professionals better support families with care, clarity, and confidence.
To support Learning Disability Awareness Week, we are inviting professionals to explore the open-access and evidence-based resources we offer designed to support practice.
Substituted parenting
Substituted parenting is a term used in the family courts and can lead to children being removed from learning disabled parents. We offer resources explaining key research findings for parents with learning disabilities and learning difficulties. Such as, explaining what substituted parenting is, the risks it presents to children and their parents, and what can be done to prevent it from happening.
Upholding the legal rights of families
We offer good practice guidance to support practitioners to uphold the legal rights of families under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010 in their work with parents with learning disabilities and learning difficulties.
Our presentations also showcase key issues in family court proceedings and key research findings focused on other aspects of supporting parents with learning disabilities.
Meeting the needs of parents
To support children’s and adult’s social care services to work together in meeting the needs of parents with learning disabilities and learning difficulties, we offer guidance documents and example protocols.
The Working with parents with a diagnosed learning disability and parents with a mild or borderline learning disability is also an example protocol that local authorities can use. It is a basis to develop joint working protocol to guide their work with parents across children’s and adult social care services.
Working towards an inclusive society
Learning Disability Awareness Week gives us an opportunity to reflect, learn and work towards a more inclusive society – one where parents with learning disabilities and learning difficulties are valued, understood, and supported to thrive and raise their family with dignity.
By becoming a member of the open-access UK-wide Working Together with Parents Network you can access and share resources, build and strengthen partnerships, and champion inclusive practice. Let’s work together. Let’s listen, learn and lead meaningful change.
Tell us about areas of practice that you would like to explore
We are planning a series of webinars to support professionals in their roles with parents with learning disabilities and learning difficulties. Shaped as a community of practice, the webinars will offer a space for members to learn, discuss, share and exchange key practice, policy and research developments.
Complete our survey to let us know your thoughts.
We are also planning an online conference and would like to hear from members who might like to present at network events.
Feedback is always welcome. If you have sector, regional or other information for us or the wider network, please contact us.
Supporting Research in Practice resources
- Supporting parents who have learning disabilities: This strategic briefing offers guidance on direct practice with parents with learning disabilities.
- Risks, rights, and the role of the state: A podcast discussing the evolving understanding of working with parents who have learning disabilities.
- Supporting parents who have experienced recurrent care proceedings: A dedicated website bringing together materials for professionals working with parents who have repeatedly had children removed from their care through care proceedings.
Working together with parents with learning disabilities
Professionals working with parents with learning disabilities are welcomed to join the Working Together with Parents Network.
Working with parents with learning disabilities and learning difficulties
Shifts in terminology occur over time and aim to achieve greater equality, social justice and promoting and protecting marginalised groups’ human rights. The Working Together with Parents Network is on this journey alongside parents with parenting support needs.