Assessments, assumptions and ableism: examining court-ordered parenting capacity assessments of parents with intellectual disability and cognitive difficulties

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Parental intellectual disability is considered a risk factor for child removal internationally. In New South Wales, Australia, authorised clinicians are court appointed experts who assess parenting and cognitive capacity in child protection matters. Method This study examined a sample of 20 assessment orders requesting parenting capacity and cognitive capacity assessments and corresponding authorised clinician reports. Results Authorised clinicians were requested to assess whether parental intellectual disability and cognitive impairment posed the risk of harm to children. Clinicians assessed parents as either “able with support” or “unable” to provide adequate care to their child. Conclusion Our findings highlight the law’s conceptualisation of risk, parenting capacity, and cognitive impairment in binary terms (i.e., risk or no risk, able or unable), which in turn limits casework planning and clinicians’ framing of parents’ abilities. We provide recommendations to improve fair and equitable assessment processes for parents with cognitive difficulties, as well as access to timely and appropriate services.