Supporting Parents/Carers with a Learning Disability, Learning Difficulty or Additional Needs

Working with families where a parent or carer has a learning disability, learning difficulty, or additional needs is a core part of our safeguarding responsibility. To support our practice and to ensure families receive the right help at the right time we now have a Children and Adults Joint Policy: Carers with a Learning Disability Learning Difficulty or Additional Needs Aug 2025. This policy is designed to strengthen how we work together across services, making sure parents receive the tailored support they need and children remain safe, heard and protected.

Why Should You Read This Policy?

This is more than just guidance — it’s a practical tool to support confident, compassionate and coordinated practice. It will help you to:

• Strengthen communication between Children’s and Adults’ Services
• Understand the impact of learning needs on parenting
• Recognise and respond to the needs of parents/carers
• Keep children’s needs and safety at the centre
• Promote positive parenting and strengthen family life
• Clarify referral pathways and legal responsibilities
• Understand your role — and how it fits with others
• Why this matters

Practitioners consistently tell us that working with parents who have learning needs can feel complex — but having the right tools, shared understanding, and coordinated approach makes a huge difference. This policy gives you exactly that.

Supporting Parents/Carers with a Learning Disability, Learning Difficulty or Additional Needs - Children and Adults Joint Policy