Nicky Genders and colleagues describe how collaboration between professionals improved their focus on helping parents with learning disabilities

A growing number of people with learning disabilities are becoming parents, and many of them risk having their children removed from their care.

It is difficult to establish how many parents have a learning disability because definitions are hard to apply and many people do not have this label attributed to them until they access health and social services. People with learning disabilities often find that becoming a parent exposes them to services where their disability is presumed to be an automatic barrier to parenting. This article sets out the design, delivery and results of a joint education and practice project that took place from November 2012 to November 2013 between De Montfort University and the Leicestershire Partnership Trust.

The project focused on assessing and supporting parents with learning disabilities, and finding, disseminating and publishing good practice examples locally and nationally. It inspired collaboration between a number of organisations and highlighted the importance of a multidisciplinary approach.