SUCCESSFUL PARENTING
AN INITIATIVE OF THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WITH DISABILITIES COMMITTEE
Of the Rhode Island Coalition for Children and Families
Who We Are…
The Children and Families with Disabilities Committee of the Rhode Island Coalition for Children and Families (RICCF) is dedicated to enhancing and improving the lives of both children and caregivers who have disabilities, and their families. We plan to do this by providing responsible and accurate data and information, forums, advocacy, and enhancing and improving access to services for this population.
Issues:
In the late 1970’s our nation moved away from institutional environments for individuals with intellectual and other disabilities to more natural, community-based living arrangements, resulting in more adults with cognitive and other disabilities experiencing personal relationships and parenthood. The numbers of individuals with disabilities who are or will be parenting will undoubtedly increase related to social integration, civil rights, and adaptive technologies. Related to this increase is the issue of veterans returning home with physical disabilities, and Traumatic Brain Injury.
The report, Rocking the Cradle: Ensuring the Rights of Parents with Disabilities and Their Children, identifies a disproportionality of parents with a disability involved in child welfare cases moving towards Termination of Parental Rights (TPR). One study found that parents with a disability label from school records were more than three times more likely to experience a TPR than parents without such a disability label. Parents with such a disability label from school records were also more than twice as likely to have child welfare involvement. According to this document, child removal rates for parents with intellectual disabilities were 40 percent to 80 percent.
Overrepresentation of such families was also identified in a 1991 study of 200 juvenile court cases which found that despite compliance with court orders, parents with intellectual disabilities had their children removed more often than parents with no identified disability. (National Council on Disability, 2012, pp.71-106) The Child Welfare 360 journal did a feature issue in the Fall, 2013 entitled, The Intersection of Child Welfare and Disability: Focus on Parents. One article identifies 20% of the population in one child welfare office had a parent with an intellectual disability (Barbee, A. P., CW360, Fall, 2013). These individuals often have a history themselves of maltreatment, and we know that parents with cognitive or other disabilities are often challenged with extenuating life issues such as inadequate employment, poor housing, stigma, victimization, and lack of social support, which compound parenting challenges.
“Parties shall take effective and appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities in all matters relating to marriage, family, parenthood and relationships, on an equal basis with others.”
Maria’s Story
Maria's parents witnessed significant domestic violence growing up. As a young adult, Maria's mother suffered a traumatic brain injury, and her father had both learning and mental health diagnoses, impacting his ability to participate fully in daily routines and maintain employment.
Upon referral from DCYF, the staff from a specialized program for parents with cognitive challenges, worked with Maria's parents to build on their strengths and enhance their parenting capacity. Maria's father expressed an interest in understanding child development. He recognized he had not experienced those things as a child growing up in the child welfare system, but knew the importance of these skills for his daughter.
The program staff worked with both parents to organize daily routines and appointments. She facilitated conversations between the family’s DCYF caseworker and the family, which had developed into a strained relationship.
DCYF wanted both parents to receive mental health counseling. Maria's father was well aware of the stigma of mental health services and refused to go. The program staff helped him to better understand and accept the benefits of counselling, and assisted him in finding a therapist with whom he felt comfortable. He subsequently became commitment to therapy and to working with a psychiatrist for medication management.
The staff worked with Maria's father and the Office of Rehabilitative Services to navigate the job interview process, and accompanied him to several critical interviews for training and employment.
Both parents were initially uncomfortable with venturing into the community for recreational purposes. The staff accompanied Maria and her parents to places such as the playground, YMCA, Early Head Start and library, to build the family's confidence and then supported then do it on their own.
Through the support of the program staff, Maria's family had better outcomes and developed the capacity to continue what they had learned after being discharged from the program. They also had developed long-term services and natural supports within their family and community.
