ABSTRACT

Within the context of the child welfare court, parenting capacity assessments are heavily relied upon to make decisions in the lives of families headed by parents with intellectual disabilities. However, little is known about the specific data that is included in these reports. The first aim of this study was to identify the data that underpins the conclusions and recommendations within parenting capacity reports. The second aim was to compare the sections of these reports from child welfare organizations and specialized intellectual disabilities service agencies. The results of this study indicate that child welfare reports usually conclude that the parent lacks the capacity to raise their children. Conversely, reports that were completed by specialized intellectual disabilities services identified that with appropriate support, parenting capacity was adequate. The results of this study have implications for assessment guidelines and system capacity initiatives to improve the quality of life of families headed by parents with ID.

摘要

在儿童福利法庭的范围内，在以智障父母为户主的家庭的生活中，严重依赖育儿能力评估。但是，对这些报告中包含的具体数据知之甚少。本研究的第一个目的是确定支持育儿能力报告中结论和建议的数据。第二个目的是比较来自儿童福利组织和专业智障服务机构的这些报告的部分。这项研究的结果表明，儿童福利报告通常会得出结论，父母缺乏抚养孩子的能力。相反，由专门的智障服务机构完成的报告指出，在适当的支持下，养育能力是足够的。这项研究的结果对评估指南和系统能力举措有影响，以提高由智障父母领导的家庭的生活质量。