Parental Learning Disability and Children's Needs : Family Experiences and Effective Practice

Parental Learning Disability and Children's Needs explores how to effectively assess children in families where one or more parent has a learning disability. These children often have unmet needs because their parents are more likely to be coping with mental and physical illness, domestic violence or substance abuse.

The book examines current social care practice in this area, whether it is working, and the impact it has on families. The authors describe how, although some parents with a learning disability face a significant risk of losing their children, most continue to look after them and, while support provided by social services and other agencies, can be significant it is rarely sustained and the health and welfare of many children suffers as a result. Case studies and interviews from original research support the authors' recommendations for policy and practice to combat these problems.

This book will prove to be an invaluable source of information for all social workers and other professionals working with someone who is both a parent and has a learning disability.

Hedy Cleaver is an emeritus professor at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her experience as a social worker and child psychologist has informed her research on vulnerable children and families and the impact of professional interventions. She is co-author of Assessing Children's Needs and Circumstances: The Impact of the Assessment Framework, and (with Don Nicholson) Child Protection, Domestic Violence and Parental Substance Misuse, also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Don Nicholson was a senior manager in social services before taking early retirement in 1996. Don was involved in a range of research studies that explored the experiences of vulnerable children and families. His death is a great loss to the research community.