Factsheet 8:
Norfolk County Council’s
Disabled Parents Protocol
The “Disabled Parents Protocol” is
a short name for Norfolk County
Council’s Joint Policy and Protocol
“Enabling Parents with a Disability or
Long Term Illness”.
It is an agreement between different
parts of Norfolk County Council and
others who provide support for
parents and children.
The Protocol aims to make sure
that:
 parents who are disabled or ill, and
their children, have access to coordinated services which provide
for their health and social care
needs effectively
 the importance of parent’s
responsibilities and what they do for
their children is properly recognised
Disabled parents helped to write it.
It includes Children’s Services,
Education, Adult Care, Learning
Difficulties Partnership, Mental Health
Partnerships, Substance Misuse
Services, Health and voluntary
services.
 the impact of a disabled/ill adult’s
impairment, their parenting
responsibilities and their family
situation is properly understood.
 A disabled/ill adult may have more
need for support if they are a parent
than if they are not a parent.
The Protocol covers parents who:
The principles of the Protocol:
 have learning difficulties
 have physical, sensory or cognitive
impairments
 have mental health problems
• Disabled/ill parents should be
supported to enable their families to
stay together and succeed in the
interests of the child.
• The needs of children are best met
when disabled/ill adults' support
needs are recognised.
 are problematic drug and/or
alcohol users
 are older or frail people
• Disabled parents or children of
disabled parents should be entitled
to an assessment automatically.
 have long term or terminal
illnesses (including HIV)
 have autistic spectrum conditions
(including Aspergers)
The full policy can be seen on our
website www.norfolkparents.org.uk
• Any disabled / ill adult who can
manage life on their own without
support, eligible or not, may
immediately become eligible for
support when they have a child .
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• The combination of impairment and
parenting responsibilities in the
individual family’s circumstances
may generate a higher degree of
need for support than a personal
assessment of the disabled/ill adult
alone.
• Adult Services should lead the care
management unless complex child
care issues dictate otherwise
• Agencies should give early support
in an empowering and nonjudgemental way, providing
interpreters, accessible formats and
advocates when required.
• Disabled/ill parents should be
supported to fulfil tasks for their
child(ren)s' personal care, domestic
routines, education, relationships,
social, peer group and community
life. This may include dressing,
feeding, taking children to school and
age appropriate activities.
• Children should always be protected
from harm. If concern for a child’s
welfare exists, this Protocol should
be read with the relevant protocols
from Norfolk Safeguarding Children
Board.
• The needs of all carers, including
young carers and young adult carers
should be recognised.
Norfolk Disabled Parents
is led by disabled parents working
for choice and equality for all
disabled parents and their families.
Visit www.norfolkparents.org.uk
for more factsheets and films of
disabled parents sharing their
experiences. Our factsheets
include:
• Personal Budgets and Direct
Payments
• Planning your assessment
• Personal assistants
• Eligibility
• Advocacy
• Young Carers
• Schools
• Norfolk’s Disabled Parents Protocol
Norfolk Disabled Parents
• Support should be offered to any
disabled/ill parent who is identified as
needing it in an assessment and
regardless of which parent is
disabled/ill.
• Assessment processes should not
be unnecessarily intrusive. They
should be kept in proportion to
individuals’ needs and
circumstances.
info@norfolkparents.org.uk
www.norfolkparents.org.uk
Phone: 078 525 989 54
145 Main Road, Clenchwarton, Kings Lynn,
Norfolk PE34 4DT
• The assessment and support plan
should reflect the needs of both
parent(s) and child(ren).
© NDP Apr 2013
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