ACTing to Support Parents with Learning Disabilities is a research project funded by The Home Office Family Support Grant Programme.

This project was based on the premise that “good enough parenting by people with learning disabilities is related to the amount of support available to the parents and children from social and family networks” (Family Policy Studies Centre/Joseph Rowntree Foundation 1997).

The prime objective of the project, therefore, was to help parents with learning disabilities to achieve ‘good enough parenting’ with the support of volunteer parents. The project was a partnership between the Ann Craft Trust (ACT) and Home-Start Nottingham.

The overall aims were:

•  To develop a comprehensive support scheme for parents with learning disabilities, to
  enable them to parent more effectively.
• To evaluate the scheme with input from people with learning disabilities themselves,
  the volunteers and the referrers.
• To produce a report, with recommendations, from the evaluation of the scheme.
• To disseminate the recommendations of the report as widely as possible.

The final report begins with answers to the specific points identified in the guidance supplied by the Family Support Grant Programme; then considers certain aspects which characterised the lives of parents with learning disabilities; it is of importance to be aware of these when supporting the parents and their children. Recommendations are included.

All Research