A break from caring for a disabled child : parent perceptions of the uses and benefits of short break provision in England

Collins, Michelle and Langer, Susanne and Welch, Victoria and Wells, Emma and Hatton, Chris and Robertson, Janet and Emerson, Eric (2014) A break from caring for a disabled child : parent perceptions of the uses and benefits of short break provision in England. British Journal of Social Work, 44 (5). pp. 1180-1196. ISSN 0045-3102

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Abstract

‘Short breaks’ is a term used in England to refer to a range of services for disabled children, many of which used to be known as respite. Recent legislation in England requires local authorities to provide family carers of disabled children with breaks so that they can continue to care. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of twenty-five parents whose children accessed short breaks. We performed a thematic analysis of data obtained from interviews and a narrative tool. The analysis revealed that short breaks were crucial in helping parents with disabled children continue to provide care and they were used in other ways that addressed the wider consequences of caring. These other uses included reducing social isolation and caring for non-disabled siblings and were facilitated by novel forms of short break provision. Some parents reported that their needs for short breaks had not been met and this appeared to arise from contested interpretations of what ‘breaks from caring’ means. Our findings suggest social work assessments should not just identify that parents need a break from caring, but should also include an understanding of how parents make sense of their need for a break.

Creators(s): Collins, Michelle, Langer, Susanne, Welch, Victoria ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2447-1854, Wells, Emma, Hatton, Chris, Robertson, Janet and Emerson, Eric;
Item type:Article
ID code:43488
Keywords:disability, children and families, qualitative methods, respite care, break from caring, contested interpretations, parent perceptions, The family. Marriage. Women, Health(social science), Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Subjects:Social Sciences > The family. Marriage. Women
Department:Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) > School of Social Work and Social Policy > Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection (CELCIS)
Depositing user: Pure Administrator
Date deposited:15 Apr 2013 10:26
Last modified:03 Sep 2020 03:03
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URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/43488
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