"Här handlar det ju om att man inte vet att man inte vet". En kvalitativ studie om synen bland professionella inom socialt arbete på begåvningshandikappade och föräldraskap
Intellectual disabilitySocial work with childrenParenting abilityParenting skillsSocialt arbete med barnFöräldraförmågaBegåvningshandikappade föräldrarUtvecklingsstörda föräldrarSocial sciencesSamhällsvetenskaperCare and help to handicappedHandikappadeVård och rehabiliteringSocial Sciences
The purpose of this study was to examine what social workers include in the term "parenting ability". More specifically the purpose was to investigate how social workers view the parenting ability among parents with an intellectual disability. Furthermore the aim was to examine what difficulties social workers come across in their work with families where one of the parents are intellectually disabled. The study was based on six interviews with social workers that specifically work with children under the age of 18, and occasionally come across parents with this type of disability. The interviews were analysed using Donald Winnicott's terms "good-enough-parenting", "holding" and "the holding environment". The result specifically showed a problem regarding the parent's ability to understand their own limitations. "Parenting ability" was looked upon as a flexible term that varies depending on the unique child and its needs as well as the social context of the family. The circumstances of the parent's own childhood was identified to be of great importance. Regarding intellectually disabled parents and their parenting abilities in general the professionals rated their abilities to be everything from "poor" to "good-enough". Parents with an intellectual disability were considered to be "good-enough" if they had knowledge of their handicap, a functioning social network and an ability to ask for help if needed. All of the professionals had seen clients with an intellectual disability developing adequate parenting skills when given support. The general view was, however, that there was a limit to which extent their parenting skills could be developed.