Page 22 - Community Living Magazine 36-1

research

How making parenting possible become parents. At the same time, this
leads to child protection services
helps to keep families together considering their competency in this.
The case study, spanning a decade,
covers the intimate story of Anna and
Tomas (pseudonyms) who, by the time of
Juliet Diener looks at research on becoming a parent again after writing up the research, were parenting
their fourth child. Both were keen to share
having had children taken away and adopting ‘weapons and their story in the hope it would highlight
tactics’ when raising a family in the spotlight of social services opportunities for systemic change.
While the findings focus on the
“weapons and tactics” (language chosen
We want to keep our children The analysis aimed to make sense of the by the couple) Anna and Tomas developed
MacLeod AM, Smart C, Keohane P, Dallos experience for both Melissa and the key to keep social services at bay, the pair also
R, Cox KJ. “We're entitled to be parents professionals involved. highlighted their experiences as children
just like normal people”: a Identified themes highlighted the and damaging relationships with
multiperspective interpretative importance of a close relationship with professional services. This resulted in
phenomenological analysis of a mother the professionals, as named by Melissa, feelings of distrust.
with a learning disability's experience of who championed her process. This was
parenting following the removal of her echoed by the professionals, who Their past experiences gave
older children. British Journal of Learning acknowledged their roles in enabling
Disabilities. 9 May 2022.  https://doi. Melissa’s success as a parent. the couple insight when
org/10.1111/bld.12481 A key finding of this study was the managing the continuous
importance of connection between
nly 7% of adults with learning them, which was defined as assessments placed on them
disabilities in England become “understanding at an emotional level,
Oparents, and more than empathy, and acceptance within the
half of them have their children security of a relationship”. These experiences gave the couple
permanently removed. These crucial components had a insight when managing the continuous
As the statistics in this study highlight, significant impact on Melissa’s belief she assessments placed on them even before
opportunities to parent for learning- could parent successfully. She experienced they had their first child.
disabled adults are filled with historical positive attachment with one professional Building a circle of allies around them
and current conflicts. in particular. was one of the tactics the parents used
The balance between freedom of choice These findings have significant that helped them throughout their years
and meeting the needs of the child evokes implications for supporting family life for of parenting. This included supportive
challenges for the professional team who the learning-disabled community with a family members and, later, trusted
work within a system that is risk averse. hope of pursuing further larger studies of professionals and disability advocates.
The authors of this study noted its kind. Learning to work within the child
previous research that identified known protection system, Anna and Tomas learnt
success factors which offer support for the Parents in the child protection system “to demonstrate their strengths while
learning-disabled parent. Stefánsdóttir S, Björg Sigurjónsdóttir H, addressing their limitations”.
However, research is scarce on what Rice J. Weapons and tactics: a story of Some precautions were needed to
happens when a learning-disabled adult parents with learning disabilities support the long-term goal of managing
tries to become a parent again after maintaining family integrity. British all their children’s needs, especially during
having had a child or children forcibly Journal of Learning Disabilities. 24 June the pandemic (for example, a family
removed from their care. 2022.  https://doi.org/10.1111/ member cared for the older children for a
Wanting to record such stories, the bld.12492 few days while the couple concentrated
authors led a study that applied a on the baby).
multiperspective interpretative et in Iceland, this case study shares While this case study highlights the
phenomenological analysis – a qualitative the story of a learning-disabled success of Anna and Tomas, it also
approach that aims to understand Scouple who developed tools to be identifies the long-term stresses and
lived experiences. able to parent their children and manage anxieties they experienced as
The research reviewed a series of complex relationships with the marginalised parents.
semistructured interviews with the professionals who monitored them and The mix of support by both family
learning-disabled parent as well as had concerns about their parenting. members and advocates enabled a
the professionals who supported As the rights of learning-disabled success story and offers insights for
her parenting. people continue to be acknowledged, other families, professionals and the
The parent, named in the research only there are more opportunities for them to wider community. n
as Melissa, chose professionals who had
previous relationships with her spanning a
period of 2-10 years. She had had three
children previously removed and was now
parenting a fourth child, who was three
years old.

22 Vol 36 No 1 | Autumn 2022 Community Living www.cl-initiatives.co.uk