New research highlights discrimination faced by parents with care experience
More than two-thirds of parents with care experience have faced discrimination while raising their own children, according to new research published today (5 November) by the University of Sheffield.
The study, led by Dr Katie Ellis, Senior Lecturer in Child Welfare, explored the everyday experiences of parents who grew up in care. While previous research shows that 89% of parents with care experience raise their children at home without intervention from the state, participants reported experiencing stigma, stereotyping and additional scrutiny from healthcare professionals once their care experience became known.
Sixty-eight per cent of participants said they had experienced discrimination in their interactions with services. This included not being listened to, insensitive questioning, assumptions that care experience was an automatic risk factor, and being judged as less capable because of their childhood experiences.
Some mothers described feeling that professionals were waiting for them to fail as parents, while others spoke about struggling to trust the services involved in their lives.
Despite these experiences, the research found that parents demonstrated high levels of parental competence and were motivated to provide safe, loving and nurturing childhoods for their children. Many described how their own experiences growing up had strengthened their commitment to creating positive family relationships.
The study forms part of the Everyday Parenting with Care Experience research project, which seeks to broaden understanding of outcomes for people with care experience by highlighting the perspectives of parents living what they describe as "ordinary" family lives.
The researchers argue that policy and practice should move beyond deficit-based assumptions about care experience and recognise the strengths, resilience and successes of parents who grew up in care.
Among the study's recommendations are greater involvement of care experienced parents in policy design and service commissioning, action by health services to address discriminatory practices, expanded support for care experienced parents, and increased access to community-based and peer support.
Alongside the report, there is a short animation which shares some of the findings.