Parenting
People with disability have the right to become parents and found a family, which includes being able to ‘retain their fertility on an equal basis with others’ and ‘to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children'...
...assistance should be provided to persons with disabilities in the exercise of their family and reproductive rights and responsibilities’.
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs &, & Disability, 2006).
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD – Article 23)
This page has information for people who support a parent with intellectual disability, like:
- family members and carers
- friends and neighbours
- social workers and allied health professionals
- local and state government staff
- community members
Information for Parents in Easy Read
This page has links to information in Easy Read to support parents with disability.
This guide was made by the Inclusion Australia. They are a group of people across Australia who support the rights of parents with an intellectual disability. The resources in this guide are for parents with intellectual disability and people who work with them.
Information and Resources about:
Advocacy and Self-Advocacy
National Advocacy Collective (NAC) Supporting the rights of parents with an intellectual disability-This Resource Guide is written in Easy Read. NAC is supported by Inclusion Australia.
https://ddwa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/National-Advocacy-Collective_Resource-Guide.pdf
Family Inclusion Network of Western Australia Inc. (Fin WA Inc.) provides advocacy and support services to parents and family members who have had their children placed in ‘out of home care’ such as foster care or relative care, or who are at risk of having their children placed in care.
https://www.finwa.org.au/
National Advocacy Collective is the national voice of people with an intellectual disability and their families.
https://www.inclusionaustralia.org.au/submission/national-advocacy-collective-supporting-the-rights-of-parents-with-an-intellectual-disability/
Queensland Public Advocate https://www.publicadvocate.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/827613/202505-supporting-parents-with-cognitive-disability-final1.pdf
Positive Powerful Parents is a self-advocacy group led by parents with intellectual disability for parents with intellectual disability. Positive Powerful Parents have resources for parents with intellectual disability on their website.
Positive Powerful Parents
Child Protection
Child protection involvement of children of mothers with intellectual disability: A study of children born to a mother with intellectual disability compared children of mothers without intellectual disability, concluding that intellectual disability alone is not sufficient justification for removal of children from their parents. The challenge for family services is ensuring that resources are adequate to meet the family's needs.
The Bumpy Road
This website provides accessible resources to assist parents with intellectual disability navigate the child protection system. The resources have been created by parents with experience of the system in New South Wales.
Charter of Rights for Parents and Families
This charter of rights aims to improve outcomes for children, parents and families who come into contact with the Department of Communities as a result of child protection concerns. This Charter recognises that parents and families are the key to finding solutions which shape and influence the way we work together by:
- supporting a culture of respect for parents and families
- encouraging staff to work with parents and families as equal partners
- listening to and including parents’ and families’ voices when working with children.
The Department of Communities and Fin WA worked together in developing the Charter of Rights for Parents and Families (involved with statutory child protection in Western Australia).
Disability
Australian Institute of Family Studies
This article discusses the challenges and support needs of parents with intellectual disability in Australia and looks at best practice and policy responses.https://aifs.gov.au/resources/short-articles/practices-support-parenting-parents-intellectual-disability
Dr Susan Collings
Disability informed practice in Child Protection: A guide to assessing parental capacity with parents with intellectual disability
https://aifs.gov.au/resources/short-articles/practices-support-parenting-parents-intellectual-disability
Dr Margaret Spencer
Video- Chanel 7, The project: A mother with intellectual disability shares her experiences of being a parent to twins.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/142241791146565
Submission to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (Disability Royal Commission), by Dr Susan Collings, Senior Research Fellow, Research Centre for Children and Families, University of Sydney and Dr Margaret Spencer, Senior Lecturer, Social Work, Sydney School of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney (September 2022). The authors of this submission are widely regarded as experts on the issues related to parenting by people with intellectual disability.
Submission to Disability Royal Commission by Dr Susan Collings and Dr Margaret Spencer
Speak Out Tasmania - ‘Mainstream and Me’ resource – Communication is not a spectator sport.
Raising Children Network- Australian parenting website with new resources supporting parents with intellectual disability including; video stories, Easy English guides and evidence-based articles.
Video: We are a Family
In this Intellectual Disability Rights Service video, three families where one or both parents have intellectual disability describe what family life means to them.
Video: We’ve Got This: Parenting with a Disability
This ABC Radio National Life Matters series provides insight into the complexities of parenting with disability.
Video (recorded webinar): You Can Ask That. A video series with mothers with intellectual disability. https://surveys.teeach.org.au/youcanaskthat
Health
Allied Health Services at KEMH and the specialist antenatal care clinics:
Healthy Start
An Australian initiative helping professionals support parents with intellectual disability (learning difficulties). It provides information and resources for practitioners, managers, researchers and policy makers and aims to improve outcomes for both parents and children.
https://www.parentingrc.org.au/tools/parents-with-intellectual-disability/
Legal
Disability Legal WA - Disability Legal WA | Legal Aid WA
Bumpy Road Easy Read Website -https://www.bumpyroad.org.au/about/index
NDIS
Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) – precedent in Victoria for parent with disability? https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/ARTA/2025/1340.html
NDIS Early Advice Service: NDIS Early Advice Service | Legal Aid WA
Contemporary Research and Resources
Research Centre for Children and Families (The University of Sydney) have co-developed a website for parents with intellectual disability. It is also for family members and support workers.
https://rccf-parenting-disability.sydney.edu.au/
- Academics from the University of Sydney published research (August 2022) suggesting parents with intellectual disability need more support
The Parenting Research Centre’s chapter on “Parents with an intellectual disability” addresses the role that the non-government sector plays in improving outcomes for people with a disability. In a submission to the Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS) for the review of the National Disability Strategy (October 2020), this chapter recognises that, as a group, parents with intellectual disability experience a range of challenging circumstances that put them and their children at greater risk of poor outcomes.
Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) - Australian Government
Practices that support parenting by parents with intellectual disability (September 2020) is an article that discusses the challenges and support needs of parents with intellectual disability in Australia and looks at best practice and policy responses (Australian Government – Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS)). Based on this research, the following key principles of good practice have been identified for people who support parents with intellectual disability (full details in the article):
- Become disability aware
- Establish safety
- Get to know the parent as a person
- Foster professional collaborations
- Facilitate family wellbeing
- Help to create a community of support
Change
A UK based organisation dedicated to empowering people with learning disabilities by ensuring they have access to high quality, accessible information. They have a series of parenting resources on their shop.
*DDWA have a hard copy of these resources in our West Perth office if you would like to have a look before you purchase this resource from the UK.
DDWA Resources
Our key focus area resources are designed for families supporting a person with disability across a range of topics including advocacy, behaviour, communication, education, employment, health, legal, recreation, relationships, safety, supports, transition and your home.
