Children's Needs – Parenting Capacity - Digital Education Resource ...

200 Children’s Needs – Parenting Capacityand protective mechanisms. For example, when parental mental illness, learningdisability or problem drinking coexist, or are accompanied by domestic violence, orassociated with poverty and social isolation, children are particularly vulnerable.However, other factors, such as the availability of another caring adult in thehome who does not experience a disorder, other relatives who act as agents of socialcontrol and provide a safe refuge for the child, and for older children the supportof friends, can cushion the negative consequences. It is therefore important notto pathologise all children who live in families where a parent suffers from mentalillness, a learning disability, problem drinking or drug use or domestic violence.However, these parental problems often result in an estrangement from family andfriends, leaving children either with a lone parent who has difficulties or two parentswho both suffer problems. The isolation of the family may be compounded becauseparents’ behaviour may have led to stigma and rejection by the local community.The challenge for practitioners is to identify both the strengths and difficultieswithin the family by carrying out a holistic assessment which covers the child’sdevelopment, the parents’ capacity to meet the child’s needs, and the impact ofwider family and environmental factors (Department of Health et al. 2000). Ofprimary importance is to identify whether the child is suffering, or likely to suffer,significant harm (HM Government 2010a).In addition, practitioners need to identify: Which children need help and the level of concern – are they ‘children inneed’?Which aspects of development are being adversely affected and how?What are the strengths and resources within each child?What disorders and other difficulties are the parents experiencing and howare these affecting their parenting capacity?What are the strengths within the family, in what aspects are they doing well,and how can these be built on?What support is available within the wider family and community?What services are needed (and from which agencies and organisations) tohelp both the child and the family?