She was speaking as the launch took place of the project’s Falling Through the Cracks report, which raised concern that 29% of parents in children’s care cases suffered from a disability, of whom two-thirds had mental health problems and most of the remainder had a cognitive disability.
Dr Coulter said: “In the UK, it is required that people who have a cognitive disability do have an advocate when they are dealing with child protection. Sometimes here, there might be an advocate but it is very hit and miss. The advocacy service itself cannot cope with the level of demand and don’t advertise their service because they just don’t have the capacity.
“I think it would be very important if the National Advocacy Service or some similar service did get the resources to provide advocates for all parents who have a cognitive disability in particular. Now, the other issue is that cognitive disability being diagnosed because very often it might emerge that a mild cognitive disability might only emerge when there is what is called a parenting capacity assessment.”
Law is very clear
She said that the law is very clear that an intervention in a family should be proportionate to the needs, adding: “So taking a child away from a family should be a last resort only if the child can’t be supported within their family.”
She continued: “An even bigger factor than cognitive ability is mental health. Sometimes that might be combined with addiction or combined with other things and there is a relationship, according to international literature, between people who have been victims of domestic violence and mental health issues like depression.
“There is a far greater need for adult mental health services and for a focus in adult mental health services on the needs of parents who have a mental health issue.
“We know how drastically under-funded mental health services have been forever, both for adults and for children. There is a need for an improvement in children’s mental health services but we shouldn’t forget that parents not getting treatment for their mental health problems affects children as well. It is not just a parent’s issue, it is also a children’s issue. There does need to be more prioritisation of mental health treatment across the board.”
The report said that the prevalence of parents with a disability in child protection proceedings highlights the need for Government action to prevent children of these parents ending up in care.
It added: “This means early evaluation of parental ability, sensitive to the needs of parents with a disability, and the provision of appropriate supports, including an advocate where child protection proceedings are being contemplated. Access to addiction services should also be a priority for parents at risk of their children being taken into care.”
It also stressed that where domestic violence is an issue in a family, other options than taking a child into care should be considered.
