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Working and caring for a disabled adopted child during a pandemic.
- Source :
- Child & Family Social Work; Feb2023, Vol. 28 Issue 1, p222-235, 14p, 4 Charts
- Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- Integrating work and family demands can be challenging for families caring for a child with one or more disabilities. The pandemic and its changes to work, schooling and service delivery potentially added to these challenges. This exploratory mixed methods study sought to understand how the pandemic affected adoptive parents' work–life fit and service use. A total of 200 participants responded to survey questions about parenting an adopted child with a disability prior to, and after, the onset of Covid‐19. More than half of the parents (59.2%) reported that it was somewhat to very difficult to integrate both work and family demands. Parents with greater access to workplace flexibility and supportive supervisors had significantly less difficulties combining work and family. Families who reported more problems with accessing mental health services, special education and respite care reported significantly more challenges with work–family fit. Parents reported increased stress due to the pandemic changes, but many also shared positive changes such as more time for family. Online services were experienced as effective for some children and reduced time spent driving to appointments. Recommendations for workplace and social service practice and policy supporting adoptive parents of children with disabilities are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- RESEARCH
SPECIAL education
CHILD care
HEALTH services accessibility
RESPITE care
RESEARCH methodology
CHILDREN with disabilities
WORK-life balance
RESEARCH funding
ADOPTED children
QUESTIONNAIRES
PSYCHOLOGY of adoptive parents
SOCIAL services
COVID-19 pandemic
MENTAL health services
TELEMEDICINE
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 13567500
- Volume :
- 28
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Child & Family Social Work
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 161312043
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12955