Beth Tarleton and Dr Gillian MacIntyre share key messages from NIHR-funded research and explore key messages from a new research briefing.
These films are extracts from a webinar held on 30 April 2026, during which Beth Tarleton from Bristol University and Gillian MacIntyre from the University of Strathclyde Glasgow explored the critical role of adult social care in supporting parents and fostering joined-up practice with children’s services.
The session presented findings on an NIHR SSCR-funded research project. The study was carried out in five local authorities in England and investigated how adult services engaged with parents with learning disabilities.
In this first film, Beth explains the legal and policy context and highlights the statutory duties under the Care Act 2014, the Children’s Act 1989, and the Equality Act 2010, highlighting the right to reasonable adjustments and support.
In this second film, Gillian highlights the challenges parents face in accessing learning disability teams due to IQ thresholds (often under 70) and the importance of Care Act assessments for those with milder impairments who may otherwise remain "invisible" to services.
They highlighted that general adult social workers do not always feel equipped to work with parents who have learning disabilities and expressed a need for training in working with children’s services and with parents.
In the third film, Beth and Gillian share examples of positive practices used by adult social workers and parents' experiences with adult social workers.
They conclude by emphasising the importance of joint working between children’s and adult services to enhance outcomes for families where one or both parents have a learning disability.
Key findings from the research:
Services need to move toward relationship-based practice that empowers parents rather than having professionals take over parenting tasks. Key elements include:
- Accessible communication: Providing information in "Easy Read" or using supportive technology for reminders.
- Care Act conversations: Shifting language from "assessment" to "conversations" to reduce the fear and stigma parents associate with being evaluated.
- Advocacy: Ensuring parents have access to independent advocacy as early as possible.
- Joint working protocols: Developing clear pathways between adult and children’s services to ensure support is provided before care proceedings are initiated.