When Families Relinquish Care of a Child with a Disability: Perceptions from Birthmothers

Abstract

This paper explores the experiences and perceptions of four mothers who relinquished care of their child with a disability to residential care in the child protection system in Queensland. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with mothers who asked the statutory authority to assume care of their child. The mothers’ narratives put into sharp focus the socio-political nature of caring for a person with a disability, and the need for more coordinated resources and expertise in supporting such families. According to the mothers’ perspectives, relinquishment provided some reprieve from daily caring responsibilities but was complicated by associated feelings of grief, anxiety, and guilt; behavioural and emotional adjustment of the child with a disability; and difficulties working collaboratively with child protection workers. The findings highlight service deficiencies and the need to build a strong evidence base to improve practice in these areas.

本文调查了将残疾孩子交由昆士兰儿童保护系统寄宿看护的四位母亲，了解了她们的经历和感受。我们对这些拥有法律权利照看其儿童的母亲做了定性深度访谈。她们的讲述使人强烈感受到看护残疾人的社会政治一面，以及统合资源及专门技能以支持此类家庭的必要性。在这些母亲看来，将看护移交他人可以使她们从每日每时的看护负担中有所解脱，但同时也会让她们感到悲伤、忧虑和内疚；残疾孩子行为上情感上如何适应；如何跟儿童保护工作者相处，等等。本文指出了服务体系的不足，建议建立强有力的证据库以改善该领域的实践。

Keywords:

• Child Protection Workers
• Disability
• Family Support
• Out-of-home Care

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the staff from the Shared Care and Family Support program (SCAFS) in UnitingCare Community for its support of this research.

Funding

This study has been funded by UnitingCare Queensland.