Parenting and Disability : Disabled Parents' Experiences of Raising Children

With parenting receiving greater recognition within the disability movement, continuing debates about the role of children in caring for parents, and the development of social policies that emphasise parent support, the role of disabled people as parents has attracted the interest of both researchers and policy makers. This book reports on the first substantial UK study of parenting, disability and mental health. It examines the views of parents and children in 75 families. Covering a broad spectrum of issues facing disabled parents and their families, "Parenting and disability": provides a comprehensive review of relevant policy issues; explores the barriers to full participation in parenting that disabled parents face; examines the complex ways in which broader social divisions, including gender and socioeconomic status, interact with disability; and advocates measures to support disabled parents and their families by promoting and supporting relationships within the family. The book is aimed at a wide audience, including students and academics in social policy, social work, disability studies, sociology, education, and nursing, people working in the voluntary sector, disabled activists and their supporters, as well as policy makers and practitioners in a range of statutory agencies. PARENTING AND DISABILITY......Page 2 Contents......Page 6 List of tables......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 9 Terminology......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 Introduction......Page 16 Disabled parents: invisibility and pathology......Page 17 The parenting of disabled people as a social problem: the case of ‘young carers’......Page 28 The legislative and policy context......Page 34 Conclusions......Page 42 2. Demographic characteristics of the final sample......Page 46 Introduction......Page 52 Use of formal support......Page 53 Barriers to the use of formal support......Page 55 Barriers to the use of informal support......Page 63 The interaction between formal and informal support......Page 69 Developing a broader understanding of the origins and interplay of support needs......Page 72 Support needs are mainstream but barriers are special: the principles of service response......Page 78 Conclusions......Page 81 Introduction......Page 84 Identifying ‘young carers’......Page 85 Rhetoric and reality: what do children actually do?......Page 88 ‘Young carer’ service provision......Page 98 ‘Young caring’ in context......Page 100 Conclusions......Page 115 Introduction......Page 118 Impairment, disability and the life course......Page 119 Changes in family composition......Page 124 Parenting over time......Page 131 Recent changes in parental impairment: onset and variability......Page 135 Looking to the future......Page 138 Conclusions......Page 140 Introduction......Page 142 Disability, relationships and parenting......Page 143 The social model, impairment and illness......Page 151 Conclusions......Page 159 Introduction......Page 162 Challenges for disability theory, policy and practice......Page 163 Towards more equal opportunities......Page 164 Children, parents and the meaning attached to domestic and ‘caring’ work......Page 165 Future directions......Page 166 Introduction......Page 168 Stage One......Page 169 Stage Two......Page 173 Recruitment......Page 174 Data management and analysis......Page 177 APPENDIX TWO: Comparisons with the ‘Looking After Children’ (LAC) community sample......Page 180 References......Page 186 Index......Page 200 The Book Is Aimed At A Wide Audience, Including Students And Academics In Social Policy, Social Work, Disability Studies, Sociology, Education And Nursing, People Working In The Voluntary Sector, Disabled Activists And Their Supporters, As Well As Policy Makers And Practitioners In A Range Of Statutory Agencies.--book Jacket. 1. Invisibility And Exclusion -- 2. Demographic Characteristics Of The Final Sample -- 3. Access To Support -- 4. Children's Involvement In Domestic And 'caring' Work: New Insights -- 5. The Life Course: Dimensions Of Change In Parenting And Disability -- 6. Individuals, Families And Relationships -- 7. Conclusion -- App. 2. Comparisons With The 'looking After Children' (lac) Community Sample. Richard Olsen And Harriet Clarke. "This book reports on the first substantial UK study of parenting, disability and mental health, which examines the views of parents and children in 75 families ... It provides a comprehensive review of relevant policy issues, explores the barriers to full participation in parenting that disabled parents face, examines the complex ways in which broader social issues ... interact with disability, and advocated measires to support disabled parents and their families ..."