This Learning Disability Week: Behind the Scenes on a Film by Parents, for Parents

This week is Learning Disability Week, and the theme for 2025 is Do You See Me?

To celebrate, Family Rights Group is proud to share a special vlog from Vicky. Vicky stars in our recent film for parents with learning difficulties and disabilities who are working with child and family social workers.  She is also a committee member at Speakup Rotherham, a self-advocacy group run by and for people with learning difficulties and autistic people, who partnered with Family Rights Group to create the film. 

The film breaks down what may happen when a social worker first gets involved in a child’s life through fictional scenes between a social worker and a parent, based on real life examples. It explains some of the steps that child and family social workers can take and what some of the words they use mean in clear, understandable language. It shows how social workers should communicate and work together with parents with difficulties and disabilities and highlights how parents can make their voices heard, including the important role of an advocate.

Watch the film and learn more about how it was made here.

Behind the Scenes

As part of Speakup Rotherham’s committee, Vicky worked closely with Family Rights Group’s social work and participation team to co-produce the film. In this vlog, she talks about her experience of helping shape the script and acting in the film.  She explains why this film is a valuable and much-needed resource for parents with learning difficulties and disabilities who are working with child and family social workers.  

Why Co-Production Matters 

Vicky also highlights why it is essential for parents with lived experience – including those with learning disabilities and difficulties – to be involved in shaping the child welfare system. She shares some of the insights from parents with lived experience included in the film and talks about the importance of co-production. 

Watch Vicky explain more about her role in the film.

What was your role in the film?

I enjoyed working on the film with the Family Rights Group. I helped to work on the script being a parent with a learning disability myself. I also talked about my own experience, what did work and what didn’t work. I think the film is really important because it shows how social workers can work with people with learning disabilities who are parents, and it is really important because it will help other social worker know how they can work with parents better. And parents know how they can ask questions, any complaints they’ve got that they are not happy about or what they are happy about. It will also help with other social workers when they’re just starting to be a social worker. And learning about that parent who has learning disability who are just becoming parents.  

Why is this film important?

I think it’s really important for parents with lived experience to be involved because they can help with these services, how they can work with people who have learning disabilities who are parents better and make things accessible for people with learning disabilities who are parents, because, it will help them to understand what the social workers are saying to them. And it will also help them to understand why the social workers have come in the first place as well. And if they’re not sure about things it gives them that chance to ask questions that they’re not sure about and not to feel frightened.  

What insights from parents with lived experience are included in the film?

It’s important that social workers need to know that parents will be scared. They’ll feel judged. But the thing is, they shouldn’t be scared. They should have a good experience with the social worker. Get to know them, knowing that they can ask questions and knowing about their problems that they have as parents. And as they work with them, it can be a good idea to work with them because then they can support them a lot better and understand what support they might need and helping them.  

Also, jargon letters need to be clear and put in plain English so people with learning disabilities understand the letters and they know what they’re for, and also to help them so they don’t get scared actually, so they can understand what the letter is for, why the social worker is coming, because as soon as they see a jargon letter, they will not be able to read it. And they won’t understand what its for and they might get the wrong end of the stick what they letter is saying, actually. So if they make it in plain English and make it a lot more easy for them to understand, it will make them feel more calm and understand why they’re coming in the first place and why they need to come. So it’s really important that it’s very clear information between the social worker and the parent. And I think the film does that.  

Why is co-production with parents who have lived experience and learning difficulties and disabilities, important?

It’s important when co-producing with parents is not to talk down to us. Talk to us like you would any other parent. Getting to know me is very important. How you can work with people with learning disabilities who are parents a lot better. And to be kind to us, and also have the patience with us as well and also check with us that we understand everything, even if it means repeating it back, just in case we’ve not understood everything that is being said. And no jargon in the letters, because it will make us not understand it and also might confuse us and we will probably get the wrong end of the stick about what the letter is talking about. And it’s really, really important to make sure they involve us right from the start and all the way to the end. We have the experience and our voices really do matter.