Welcome to Learn on the go, a Community Care Inform podcast where we discuss what the latest research, practice models and policy guidance mean to your practice.

In this episode, we discuss working with parents with learning disabilities.
As part of the episode, we went to a peer support group for parents run by the Elfrida Society, a charity which provides a specialist advocacy service for people with learning disabilities. There are excerpts from the discussion among parents with learning disabilities and learning difficulties about their experiences with social workers and how services can improve. And the episode also includes a discussion between Nadine Tilbury, policy officer at Bristol University’s Norah Fry Centre for Disability Studies, and Kate Theodore, lecturer at Royal Holloway and a clinical psychologist who has worked with people with learning disabilities. The questions were asked by Ruth Hardy, content editor at Community Care Inform.

1:36 – 8:50: The parents, Nadine and Kate discuss what negative beliefs and stereotypes there are about parents with learning disabilities.

10:21 – 21:35: How can social workers build good relationships with parents? The group discuss this, and then Nadine and Kate offer their thoughts.

21:49 – 33:30: The peer support group talk about their experience of parenting assessments. Nadine and Kate discuss best practice for social workers undertaking assessments with parents.

33:40 – end: The final question is around what support parents with learning disabilities might need from social workers.

References
Parents' peer support group 
Elfrida Society

Tarleton, B; Turney, D; Merchant, W and Tilbury, N (2018)
Getting Things Changed: Successful professional practice when working with parents with learning difficulties
University of Bristol

Working Together with Parents Network (2016)
Good practice guidance on working with parents with a learning disability
University of Bristol / Esmée Fairbairn Foundation