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A film for parents with learning difficulties and disabilities: working with a child and family social worker
What should parents be able to expect when a child and family social worker becomes involved in their child’s life?
This film is designed to help parents with learning difficulties or disabilities. And those that are supporting them or working with them. The film explains what parents should be able expect when a child and family social worker becomes involved in their child’s life.
It was made in partnership with Speakup Rotherham, an advocacy organisation for people with learning difficulties and disabilities. It was co-produced by parents with experience of the child welfare system. Parents were involved every step of the way, from shaping the content to creating the film itself. As a result, the film reflects their experiences and addresses the challenges they face.
The film breaks down what may happen when a child and family social worker first gets involved in a child’s life. It uses fictional scenes between a social worker and a parent that are based on real life examples.
The film explains some of the steps child and family social workers may take and the processes they should follow. It explains what some of the words they often use mean. The film shows how social workers should communicate and work with parents with learning difficulties and disabilities. It also highlights how parents can make their voices heard and their views known, including the important role of an advocate.
What support may parents with learning difficulties and disabilities benefit from?
Parents with learning disabilities or difficulties may benefit from extra help from a range of services. This includes:
- Help to use support during pregnancy – including working with a midwife
- Support with new-borns – including working with health visitors
- Parents’ groups
- Courses or one-to-one support to help with parenting skills
- Help to with learning about child development
- Groups and courses aimed at fathers
- Practical support in the home. Such as from a family support worker
- Help to use direct payments to purchase their own chosen support
- Support with their child’s social and academic development
- Counselling
- Advocacy support
- Short breaks services
- Help and support for their child from children’s services.
Do children’s services always become involved with a family where a parent has a learning difficulty or disability?
Children’s services will not always become involved with a family where a parent has a learning difficulty or disability . But they may do if they think a child and their family need extra support, or if the child or family ask for this. Or if they are worried a child is not safe or well cared for.
See our Children’s services page for:
- Ways families may be supported without children’s services involvement
- The different ways children’s services can become involved with families
- How children’s services should work with children and families.
How should children’s services work with parents with learning difficulties and disabilities?
Children’s services should look at children and parents as individuals. They should look at their specific needs.
Children’s services should always work in partnership with children and families. And where a parent has a learning difficulty or disability it is important children’s services follow Good practice guidance on working with parents with a learning disability.
The guidance is based on five features of good practice. You can read more about these features here on ‘adults with learning difficulties and disabilities’ webpage.
What help and advice does Family Rights Group offer?
Family Rights Group offers free, independent and confidential advice for parents, kinship carers, relatives and friends of children who are involved with children’s services in England or need their help. We support families to work with social workers and understand the law, their rights and options.
This Easy Read leaflet explains what our advice services does and how you can get in touch with us.
Where can parents with learning difficulties and disabilities get further help and advice?
There are specialist organisations and networks which support parents with learning difficulties and disabilities. See the Disability (including learning disability) section of our Useful links page for further information.
Contact details for local council adult social care departments can be found by entering your postcode or town into this search tool on the NHS website.
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