Peer-reviewed article
Experiences of mental health support services in a community sample of parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Bowen AEJ, Fox L ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study explored how parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities experience mental health support services in England. The research found that parents face significant challenges in their daily lives and struggle to access appropriate mental health services, often turning to informal networks instead. Parents reported that inadequate support services placed heavy psychological burdens on them, leading to isolation and neglect of their own wellbeing. The study calls for more integrated, flexible, and family-centred approaches to mental health support.
Key points
- Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities are at higher risk of mental health difficulties
- Systemic limitations in service accessibility forced parents to rely on informal networks and charitable organisations rather than formal provision
- Some parents experienced available services as ineffective or harmful
- The absence of appropriate external support contributed to parental psychological distress, isolation, and parents neglecting their own needs
- Parents called for integrated, strengths-based, and family-centred approaches with flexible parallel provision for parents and children
Limitations
This study provides insights into parents' experiences and perceptions of services, but does not evaluate the effectiveness of any specific intervention. The sample was geographically limited to York, England, and was predominantly female (89.4%), which may not represent all parents or other regions.
Abstract
Parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities face challenges on top of everyday parenting, placing them at higher risk of mental health difficulties. However, this could be alleviated by appropriate and timely targeted mental health services. This study examined the experiences of mental health and mental health services in a community sample of parents living in and around York, England. Qualitative data from 66 survey respondents (89.4% female) and 12 interviewees (67% female) were thematically analysed. Results indicated parents experienced numerous challenges related to navigating complexity in their day-to-day lives and in accessing support for their children. Systemic limitations in service accessibility were identified, with participants relying on informal networks and charitable organisations for support due to insufficient or inappropriate formal provision. For some, services were experienced as ineffective or harmful. The absence of appropriate external support for children placed a substantial burden on parents, contributing to psychological distress, isolation, and parents neglecting their own needs to provide for their children. Participants called for more integrated, strengths-based, and family-centred approaches, particularly flexible parallel provision for parents and children. These findings highlight the need for systemic reform to ensure that support services are accessible, joined-up, and responsive to both child and parental needs.