Assessing Parents' Support Needs: Theory and Practice
Project Team
Overview
The 3-year project is being undertaken by the University
of Sydney in partnership with the Family Support Services
Association of NSW, and is funded by the ARC SPIRT (Strategic
Partnership with Industry) scheme. The purpose of this
study is to design an assessment method that can be
used by family support workers to more effectively identify
and implement supports needed by parents with intellectual
disability.
Approach
A central tenet of this research and development project
is that the task of assessing support needs necessitates
reflexivity and parent participation in a process of
reaching a shared understanding. The project has development
and trial phases. The development phase involved critical
self-reflection (drawing on the researcher's own experience
as a practitioner in the field) and extensive consultation
with experienced family support workers. The trial phase,
which is currently underway, involves the researcher
and a sample of family support workers implementing
the assessment method, and obtaining parent and worker
feedback on process and outcome.
Anticipated Outcome
This research and development project will result
in an innovative method/process of assessing (and planning
for) the support needed by parents with intellectual
disability.
Dissemination (Publications only)
Spencer. (2001) Proceed with caution: The limitations
of current parenting capacity assessments. Developing
Practice: The child, youth and family work journal,
1, Winter, 16- 24.
Spencer, M. (2000). Issues in assessing parenting capacity.
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 44, 470-471.
Related Publications
Llewellyn G, McConnell D, Honey A, Mayes R & Russo
D. (in press). Promoting health and home safety for
children of parents with intellectual disability: A
randomised controlled trial. Research in Developmental
Disabilities.
Llewellyn, G., McConnell, D., Russo, D., Mayes, R.,
& Honey, A. (2002). Home based programs for parents
with learning difficulties: Lessons from practice. Journal
of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities,
15, 341-353.
Tymchuk, A.J., Llewellyn, G., & Feldman, M., (1999)
Parenting by persons with intellectual disabilities:
A timely international perspective. Journal of Intellectual
and Developmental Disability, 24(1), 3-6.
Llewellyn, G., McConnell, & Bye, R. (1998). Perception
of service needs by parents with intellectual disability,
their significant others, and their service workers.
Research in Developmental Disabilities, 19 (3),
245-260.
McConnell, D., Llewellyn, G., & Bye, R. (1997).
Providing services to parents with intellectual disability:
Parent needs and service constraints. Journal of
Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 22(1),
5-17.
Llewellyn, G., Bye, R., & McConnell, D. (1997).
Parents with intellectual disability and mainstream
agencies. International Journal of Practical Approaches
to Disability, 21(3), 9-13.
Llewellyn, G. (1997). Parents with intellectual disability
learning to parent: The role of informal learning and
experience. International Journal of Disability,
Development and Education, 44 (3), 243-261.
Llewellyn, G. (1995). "First hand experience".
Parents with learning difficulties. Disability, Pregnancy
& Parenthood International, 11 (July), 10-12.
Llewellyn, G., & Brigden, D. (1995). Factors affecting
service provision to parents with intellectual disability:
An exploratory study. Australian and New Zealand
Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 20, 97-112.
Llewellyn, G. (1994). Generic family support services:
Are parents with learning difficulties catered for?
Mental Handicap Research, 7, 64-76.
Llewellyn, G. (1990). People with intellectual disability
as parents: Perspectives from the professional literature.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Developmental
Disabilities, 16, 369-380.
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