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Parents with intellectual disability pilot project
- Author:
- ALEXANDER Angela
- Journal article citation:
- Disability, Pregnancy and Parenthood International, 75, Spring 2012, pp.12-20.
- Publisher:
- National Centre for Disabled Parents
This paper describes a peer support group set up to support parents with intellectual disability in Victoria, Australia. The group, called Totally Awesome Parents (TAP), was established as part of the 2011 Parenting with Intellectual Disability (PWID) pilot project. The project was set up amid concerns over the overrepresentation of families of parents with an intellectual disability in areas such as child protection and out of home care. The key initial aim of the group was to address social isolation and facilitate healthy positive friendships. The weekly sessions are informal, relaxed and fun. Families enjoy sharing morning tea during activities and discussion. The group has become a significant learning environment for parent participants, as well as a community supported project benefiting from enthusiastic volunteer involvement and extensive networking at both a local and global level. Participant parents report and demonstrate increased confidence and self-esteem, evident by their growing willingness to actively share skills, tell their stories, and take on co-facilitator roles.