The Support
Gap
service system failures
The presumption
of incompetence
marked by the belief that parents' innate limitations make them
unfitted for parenthood and an inclination only to see the evidence
that supports this preconception.
A deficiency perspective
a tendency always to focus on people's deficits and on what they
cannot do.
System
abuse
meaning policies and practices that harm the families they are
supposed to support or protect.
Competence-inhibiting
support
support that deskills parents, reinforces their feelings of inadequacy
and undermines their independence.
Top-down priorities
meaning that the professional as trained expert is usually in
control and running the show.
Poor assessments
the Social Services
Inspectorate found that critical decisions about the children
of parents with learning difficulties are being made on the basis
of 'inappropriate or inadequate information'.
A child-centred
focus
the primary focus of attention for practitioners is usually the
welfare of the children rather than the family as a unit.
Blaming the
victim
family and child care problems are often ascribed to the limitations
of the parents when they owe more to environmental pressures
or deficiencies in the support services.
Crisis-driven
services
families often have to wait until a crisis erupts before the
services will respond.
Lack of trust
many parents have had bad experiences of the services in the
past and are often reluctant to seek help even when they need
it for fear of where it might lead.
High drop-out
rates
too often families are shoehorned into services that make no
allowances for their special learning needs.
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