“PARENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AND THE CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM ”

“There is an automatic assumption that because of their disabilities, people with intellectual disabilities are incapable of caring for children.”

It is a sad reality that many parents with intellectual disability will face the removal of their children, purely on the basis of their disability.

Heart wrenchingly in some instances, newborn babies will be torn away from their mothers.

There is an automatic assumption that because of their disabilities, people with intellectual disabilities are incapable of caring for children.

Research has suggested that every 3 in 5 children are removed from their parents’ care. A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in 2022 shows two in three people with disability aged 35 to 44 years have parenting responsibilities and over one in five people with intellectual disability aged 15 to 44 years have children.

While it is?estimated 0.41%?of Australian parents have intellectual disability, international evidence shows most people with intellectual disability who become parents are classified in the “low” to “borderline” intellectual functioning range. So they may not identify with a label of intellectual disability. The real percentage of parents in this category is likely to be higher.

Child protection statistics are a sober reminder of the vulnerability these families face if they fall between the cracks of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and mainstream support services. Up to three in every five children with a parent or parents with intellectual disability are likely to be removed from their care according to?research?from around the world.

Parenting should be treated as an activity of daily living for people with disability and then supported – rather than ignored – to ensure the best outcomes for parents and children.

With the?right help, parents with intellectual disability can and do learn what it takes to be a good parent. But their efforts to keep their family together can be undermined by disjointed services and the separation of parenting responsibility from?disability needs.

The NDIS is a key plank of Australia’s efforts to meet our obligations under the?United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This includes the right to participate fully in society, live independently, and have a family. In reality, families living with disability face perilous service gaps that undermine these rights.

In previous research, it has been noted that if a mother with intellectual disability is assessed as requiring support with living skills, an NDIS funded support worker may teach her to buy and prepare her own meals and do the laundry. But the same worker is often not permitted to teach her how to sterilise her baby’s bottles or wash nappies.

If the first support a mother with intellectual disability receives follows a mandatory report to child protection, it is likely to be too little and too late.

As one parent we spoke to explained:

I […] couldn’t keep up with the housework. So, community services removed them for that. And they took the youngest at three days old from the hospital, simply for the fact that the other kids were in care.

Parenting should be recognised by the NDIS as a fundamental occupation of daily life.

If we recognise parenting as a fundamental occupation of daily living, NDIS funding can be used by parents with intellectual disability to learn parenting skills.

Where NDIS supports are in place prior to parenthood, we should adjust plans for expectant parents with intellectual disability.

The NDIS could fund assistance for personal and household activities to help parents learn what it takes to make a safe home for their child. Parents could also get NDIS help to access their community: to find out about local playgroups and new parents groups, and then help to join in so they can connect with other parents and services.

Promises?to improve the way NDIA communicates with the disability community are welcome. Governments need a clearer picture of how many families are headed by parents with intellectual disability, and how they can tailor support early to prevent these families reaching unnecessarily separated.

Reference: Collings, S, Hindmarsh, G, Spencer, M, & Wedgwood, N, "People With Intellectual Disability Can Be Parents and Caregivers Too, But The NDIS doesn't Support Them", The Conversation, August 16th 2022.