A child-centred focus

The primary focus of attention for practitioners is usually the welfare of the children. Too often the needs of the parents are overlooked even though they may be unable to do their best by their children until their own problems are sorted out. The Social Services Inspectorate found that 'the majority of disabled parents we saw did not consider their needs had been recognised' and workers seldom looked at 'the whole family and how to support and help the parents in the discharge of their parental duties'. As one mother with an intellectual disability put it, 'Nobody was there for me. It was always professional people for the kids. I needed somebody for me, not just the kids.'

(Goodinge, S., A Jigsaw of Services, Social Services Inspectorate, Department of Health, 2000, para. 1.6. See also the reports of inspections of individual councils listed in Appendix E.