Provides new evidence and insights derived from original research and life stories to answer questions about what it means for a child to be brought up by a parent with learning difficulties and whether this affects their well-being.

Growing up with Parents who have Learning Difficulties uses a life-story approach to present new evidence about how children from such families manage the transition to adulthood, and about the longer-term outcomes of such an upbringing. It offers a view of parental competence as a social attribute rather than an individual skill, assessing the implications for institutional policies and practices. The authors address the notion of children having to parent their disabled parents and argue for a shift in emphasis from protecting children to supporting families. This innovative book provides a fresh approach to a subject rife with prejudice and challenges us to think again about many taken-for-granted ideas about the process of parenting and the needs of children. It also demonstrates the power of narrative research and its capacity for bringing alive people's experience in a way that enables us to better understand their lives.

'An extraordinarily good read ... credible, challenging and complex while remaining very readable. Such texts are crucial in breaking down some of the barriers surrounding people with learning disabilities.' - Nursing Times

'This is a fascinating book at several levels ... offers a rich insight into what it's like to have a parent - or two parents - with learning difficulties ... the book combines research with practice and is a must both for researchers and for practitioners.' - Community Care Feb/Mar 1999

'The book provides an excellent review of a broad range of literature and the discussion about narrative research is a welcome addition to the qualitative methodology discourse.' - Child and Family Social Work