Children’s needs: parenting capacity

Cleaver, H., Unell, I. and Aldgate, J. (2011) Children’s needs: parenting capacity: child abuse: parental mental illness, learning disability, substance misuse, and domestic violence (PDF). London: The Stationery Office (TSO).

"The 2010 Government statistics for England demonstrated that, as in the 1990s, only a very small proportion of children referred to children’s social care became the subject of a child protection plan. In many families children’s health and development were being affected by the difficulties their parents were experiencing. The findings from research, however, suggest that services were not always forthcoming. Practically a quarter of referrals to children’s social care resulted in no action being taken. This book provides an update on the impact of parental problems, such as substance misuse, domestic violence, learning disability and mental illness, on children’s welfare. Research has continued to emphasise the importance of understanding and acting on concerns about children’s safety and welfare when living in households where these types of parental problems are present."