PARENTS Need ... A service for families with learning disabled parents and for the schools, colleges, local authorities, advocates and charities that work with them.

 

I am Linda Gough, education has been my life. I consider myself very lucky to have been involved in many roles: teacher, tutor, examiner, teacher trainer, SENCO, senior leader, consultant and advisor, over the past 30 years.

 

​All parents need support, advice and confidence regarding their children’s education. Parents who have learning difficulties and disabilities may need very specific support and advice about the world of education, in order for them to be able to engage with their children’s education.

 

The children of parents with learning difficulties and disabilities, need their educational settings to have a full understanding of the wide-ranging impact of their parents’ needs on them and their educational experiences, in order for them to thrive and achieve in schools. These children often have a very different experience of education to their peers. If this is not fully understood and supported, these young people may underachieve, be disaffected and experience social and emotional problems.

 

Katie, aged 17, describes her experience:

 

"My mum and dad both have learning disabilities, as does my younger brother. I don’t. Imagine what it is like trying to talk about my school, my options, my homework to my mum and dad who can’t read or write and don’t really understand what I am saying. Information from school comes through the internet. My mum and dad can’t use the computer and wouldn’t be able to read it anyway. If my teachers had really understood what my life is like, I think I would have had better support and achieved more."

 

PARENTS Need ... is a support and advisory service specifically established for parents with learning difficulties and disabilities, with a focus on their children’s education.

PARENTS Need ... offers expert advice, support, resources and training for individual families, for schools, for Children’s Services, for advocates and for charities.