What happens to parents with intellectual disability following removal of their child in child protection proceedings?

摘要

As we move forward to support people with intellectual disability to participate in all facets of society they, like us, become subject to societal rules and regulations in all aspects of their lives. Nowhere is this more keenly felt than in the child protection arena. Studies from the United States, Britain, and Australia all point to parents with intellectual disability being overrepresented in proportion to their numbers in the care and protection system. For example, in Australia almost 1 in 10 cases brought before the children's court featured a parent with intellectual disability (Llewellyn, McConnell, & Ferronato, 2003). In comparison to population estimates of less than 1% (McConnell, Llewellyn, & Ferronato, 2000), this is a significantly greater overrepresentation compared to parents with psychiatric disability, or substance abuse issues.