Pride and prejudice: a snapshot of parents with disabilities experience of the child protection system in Victoria

Abstract

The Disability, Parenting and the Law Project developed as a result of concerns expressed by parents with disabilities who came into contact with the Victorian child protection system. The Disability Discrimination Legal Service (DDLS) and Yooralla's Parents with a Disability Community Project (YPWDCP) jointly developed a project proposal to research the experiences of parents with disabilities whose children became involved with the Victorian child protection system, and to explore whether this particular group of parents were experiencing discrimination as a result of their disability. Funding was sought from, and a grant of $16,248 provided by, the Victoria Law Foundation's Community Grants Program, with an additional contribution of $7,500 provided by the Department of Human Services Western Metropolitan Region (DHS WMR). This report, Pride and Prejudice: A Snapshot of Parents with Disabilities Experiences of the Child Protection System in Victoria, is the result of research and consultations conducted over an 18-month period. The findings and recommendations contained in this report are consistent with those of similar research being conducted around Australia and in other western countries.