Cycle of failure forces parents with learning disabilities to have their children taken away

Tuesday 9th May 2006

Commenting on research by the University of Bristol that shows that around half of all parents with learning disabilities are having their children taken away from them, Bert Massie, Chairman of the Disability Rights Commission (DRC), commented:

“Thousands of parents with learning disabilities have a complete lack of rights to challenge or prevent the most serious intervention by the State – to break up their family. They have no right to the support in the home they need, when we know that this support would keep many of them together.

“Public policy condemns these parents to a cycle of failure by not even offering low levels of support. Too often the chosen solution is to take the child away.

“There is no doubt that in some cases, at root, is the discriminatory attitude that people with learning disabilities can’t be parents.

“It should be a matter of shame that disabled people have no control over the most fundamental aspects of their lives and the DRC is supporting a new bill to finally give disabled parents the right to live independently and to have full access to the support they need.”

The DRC is supporting the Independent Living Bill, due to be launched in this summer, by Lord Ashley of Stoke.

As part of its major advertising campaign ‘Are We Taking the Dis?’, the DRC is running an advert on this theme in national newspapers tomorrow. The campaign is to highlight the exclusion disabled people face and to encourage debate on the DRC’s website at: www.disabilitydebate.org

The advert highlights the contents of the Bristol University research and says:

“My Mum and Dad have learning disabilities. So I’m learning to live with a new Mum and Dad.”

50% of parents with a learning disability have their children taken into care. With support, many of these families could stay together. Are We Taking the Dis?