Exploring professionals' practices and perspectives on supporting parents with intellectual disabilities: a qualitative study.
Romina Rinaldi, Manon Legierski, Erika Wauthia and 2 others
PMID 37325128WHAT IT FOUND
Professionals struggle to balance child safety with parental rights, often feeling their holistic support exceeds their mandate.
Parents frequently mistrust services, fearing child removal. Trust builds through transparency, long-term relationships, and adapting communication, such as using visual aids, rather than relying on assessments alone.
Key findings
01Professionals reported parents often mistrusted their work due to fears of child removal or being judged, which led parents to avoid services.
02Adapting communication through visual aids and flexible contact methods helped build trust but was considered insufficient for complex parenting needs like behavioral boundaries.
03Professionals experienced ethical conflicts between focusing on the child's best interests and supporting the family, often feeling pressured to choose one over the other.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study used an opportunity sample of 22 professionals, so findings may not represent all practitioners. Data reflects professionals' perceptions of parents' experiences, not the parents' own voices. The study was conducted in French-speaking Belgium, so findings may not apply to other healthcare or welfare systems. Professionals discussed their work with parents in general, without accounting for the diverse life situations and backgrounds of the parents themselves.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Office de la Naissance et de l'Enfance (ONE), a public agency for children's welfare in the region.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the professionals' reported use of visual aids and holistic support as evidence that these methods improve parenting outcomes or child safety. This study reports what professionals believe they do and how they perceive parents' reactions, not the effectiveness of those interventions.