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The authors of this monograph interviewed 51 families on three occasions over a 12 month period to examine their use of health and welfare services for their young children with disabilities. They found that parents (especially mothers) have enormous stresses on them if they attempt to care adequately for their young child. Such stress is compounded by the poorly structured and poorly coordinated service systems in health and welfare. The research also shows that 'helping professionals' were not always very helpful because they were too much tied up in their own professional worlds and they operated in bureaucratic settings which did not facilitate coordinated activity. The authors conclude with a number of policy options relating to service organisation and coordination, and family support. Keywords: Families, Professionals