The needs of disabled children and their families (summary)

A national survey of over a thousand parents has explored the needs and c i rcumstances of families caring for a severely disabled child. The re s e a rc h , c a rried out by Bryony Bere s f o rd at the Social Policy Research Unit, University of York, sought parents’ views of their and their child’s needs as well as their experiences as service users. Parents also re p o rted the care demands and impact on living circumstances brought about by having a disabled child. Comparisons with data collected twenty years ago indicate little impro v e m e n t in the circumstances in which families are caring for their severely disabled child. The re s e a rchers found: