Improving the rights of parents with intellectual disability

In this episode, Miranda Bain describes her involvement in developing the Victorian Charter of Rights for parents with intellectual disability. Miranda is well-known for her work in advocacy and human rights and was nominated for the 2018 Australian of the Year award. She is a special advisor to the Office of the CEO for Courts Victoria and the Chair of the Disability Advisory Committee (DAC).

Miranda established the DAC in 2014 in recognition that parents – particularly mothers – with intellectual disability were overrepresented in the state’s child removals. She set out to change some common assumptions about parents with intellectual disability; specifically their ability to learn new parenting skills that support the social and emotional safety and wellbeing of their infants and children.

In our conversation, Miranda discusses the learnings from the Hopes Parenting Program, which was developed by Tweddle Hospital in Footscray. The program pilot showed that parents with intellectual disability are capable of learning new parenting skills that support their children’s safety and development. Miranda discusses the role every practitioner plays as a change agent in this work and describes how we can all contribute to advocacy and systems change to improve the rights of parents with intellectual disability.

In this episode you will learn about:

• interventions with parents with intellectual disability that have evidenced supportive and effective practice [07:54]
• the Hopes Parenting Program pilot, developed in collaboration with Tweddle Hospital [10:07]
• organisational and practitioner allies in the consultation process throughout the development of the charter [14:31]
• use of evidence in Miranda’s journey through the development of the charter [18:51]
• links and accessible versions of The Victorian Charter of Rights for parents with intellectual disability [25:22]

Further information and resources:

The Charter of Rights for parents and carers with disabilities involved with child protection in Victoria

Child-centred and family-focused practice with children with disability (online course)

Child-centred and communication-focused practice with children with disability (online course)