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The double‐edged sword of vulnerability: Explaining the persistent challenges for practitioners in supporting parents with intellectual disabilities
Author(s) -
MacIntyre Gillian,
Stewart Ailsa,
McGregor Sharon
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1468-3148
pISSN - 1360-2322
DOI - 10.1111/jar.12647
Subject(s) - vulnerability (computing) , psychology , sword , good practice , nursing , medicine , engineering ethics , engineering , mechanical engineering , computer security , computer science
Background Evidence suggests that parents with intellectual disabilities can be “good enough” parents with appropriate support that focuses on the whole family. This paper brings together theories of vulnerability with an ethics of care approach to reflect on challenges for practitioners in supporting parents, drawing upon data from a study carried out in Scotland. Method An online survey was administered to practitioners in three settings, and follow‐up interviews were carried out with key informants. Results Pockets of good practice existed but a number of barriers to supporting families remained. These related to a lack of accessible information, difficulties in identifying and engaging with families at an early stage and poor joint working across agencies. Conclusion The study concludes by arguing that practitioners' constructions of families as “vulnerable” reflects negatively on their perceived capacity to parent, creating further barriers in accessing appropriate support and reducing expectations of success.