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This article reports findings of an exploratory study of 71 parents with substance abuse conditions involved in a child dependency court. Over half (59%) of the parents had a co-occurring mental health condition. Parents with co-occurring conditions (PWCC) differed in several important ways from those with only substance abuse conditions. PWCC were also more likely than their case managers were to report a need for mental health treatment. Implications for child welfare practice and research are offered., Parental substance abuse has dearly been identified as a major contributing factor in cases of child abuse and neglect since the mid-1980s. Current estimates from national studies suggest that 50 [...]

Using the Australian Time Use survey (TUS), this study examined time allocation among working parents raising children with disabilities. Findings showed that raising children with disabilities reduced the time working mothers had for leisure activities, but increased the time for socializing activities. Consistent with the literature, the latter effect probably reflects the special need of working mothers raising children with disabilities for strong social networks offering regular support. While a mother's time for personal care was reduced by a child with a disability, a father's time for personal care was unaffected. Thus, mothers were relatively more disadvantaged than fathers in terms of total time for themselves. This study offers new knowledge on the impact of childhood disability on working parents' time for personal care and leisure, activities that can improve their psychological and physical well-being. Keywords: Children with disabilities; Family stress; Gender; Work and family; Time use diaries; Health inequalities; Australia

Background and aims: This article discusses a collaborative approach to assisting parents with a mental illness who have children aged 5 years and under and explores themes found in the literature, focus groups with consumers and workshops with clinicians working with parents who have a mental illness. Method: Focus groups and workshops were held for consumers and clinicians. The workshops included information about a proposed group intervention and discussions about themes found in the literature review and previous focus groups. Results: Using thematic analysis, the gaps identified in the focus groups and workshops were classified into five main categories--namely, interagency collaboration, a need for accessible support groups, a need for information and resources about mental illness, and parenting issues related to mental illness and independence. This information informed the development of a treatment package. Conclusion: The content of the proposed treatment package has been informed by the findings of the literature review, focus groups and workshops. The sessions focus on topics about parenting and managing mental health and consumers are actively involved at the outset in their own care and the care of their child. The intervention will be trailed in clinical settings to establish efficacy and effectiveness.

A multiperspective account of the issues and subsequent interventions for families affected by parental mental illness is reviewed in this article, including those involving the children, the parent with mental illness, other family members, agencies, and society in general. An overview of various issues and interventions for families affected by parental mental illness is seen as potentially useful for practitioners and program developers as well as providing a resource bank for systematic evaluation, research, and policy. Keywords: parental mental illness, interventions, children, evaluation, families

This article examines the adaptability of children with severely mentally disabled parents. The author, maintaining past research has indicated children of mentally disabled parents are at high risk of developing psychiatric disorders themselves, argues that recent research shows that most children with mentally disabled parents adapt to their situation very well and cope with the increased role demands.

Deaf mothers tend to use six separate strategies when reading to their young deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) children. These strategies are text paired with signed demonstration, sign placement, connecting text and child's real world experiences, attention maintenance, demonstrations of character changes, and non-manual signals as questions. The number of strategies used increased with the age of the child. In this study, children ranged in age from three to five years.

"I see a pretty little face...it's a girl!" For a moment I waited to hear if Dr. Sacks would say anything else. My biggest fear was that my baby would [...]

A study to examine the hurdles that families with disabled children faced due to structural and communication problems was conducted. Results showed that communication hurdles between parents and social workers led to the family facing difficulty in assimilation into the mainstream of society.

Counseling literature has not adequately addressed various experiences encountered by hearing children of deaf adults. Awareness and understanding of these unique experiences would better prepare counselors to work with such clients. The authors review such experiences in the context of Deaf culture and believe such a review will enable the counselor to establish more effective counseling relationships with these children and their deaf parents.

A new publication from Disability Pregnancy and Parenthood International is now available for health and social care professionals. Supporting Parents with Learning Disabilities and Difficulties: A Starting Point provides a [...]