Making Sense: Supporting Parents with Cognitive Impairment Through Care and Protection

Course type

One-day, face-to-face course.

Who attended?

This course was developed for disability workers and advocates, community service workers, family support workers and case managers who may have the opportunity to support parents with intellectual or other cognitive disabilities.

Course Description

The purpose of this course was to equip workers in the disability and community sectors to work effectively with parents with cognitive disability by providing support to reduce the disadvantage experienced in care and protection proceedings.

The course was interactive, providing a sound understanding of the care and protection system and relevant law through a variety of case examples. It stimulated practical ideas for assisting parents with cognitive disability to ‘make sense of the system’, and to respond to systemic expectations if they are to retain or regain care of their children.

Outcomes from the workshop

By the end of this workshop it was expected that participants will be able to:

Know the rights of parents with cognitive disability
Understand the operation of the child care and protection system and child care and protection law in NSW
Be aware of parental rights with regards to adoption, restoration and contact when their children have been removed
Support parents with cognitive disability through care and protection processes including establishment, removal, contact, adoption, appeals and restoration
Understand the social, emotional and financial implications for parents when their children are removed and how support can be provided

To participate in this training

This course was developed and run by IDRS (Intellectual Disability Rights Service) on behalf of the Disability Justice Project.

IDRS continue to run this course – and in order to enrol in one of their upcoming courses please contact:

Telephone: 02 9318 0144
Freecall: 1800 666 611 (outside Sydney)
Fax: 02 9318 2887
Email: info@idrs.org.au
Website: www.idrs.org.au

After hours line: 1300 665 908 – providing legal advice and support for people with intellectual disability who’ve been arrested: 9am to 10pm, 7 days a week.

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