Improving wellbeing for disabled children and their whānau

We commissioned the Donald Beasley Institute (DBI) to review prevention and wellbeing literature. This is to help us develop and implement more effective services to support disabled tamariki and their whānau.

DBI structured the research around these questions:

• how ‘prevention’ is defined and understood in the literature,
• how prevention could support ‘a good life’,
• which systemic prevention initiatives appear most successful,
• where do gaps exist in prevention services,
• how can we improve services, and
• what strategies could help prevent disabled young people from engaging with care and protection or youth justice services.

The literature review found that disabled young people are more likely to enter care than non-disabled young people. They are also over-represented in youth justice facilities.

We learned that disabled parents and caregivers are more likely to have a child removed than non-disabled parents and caregivers.

From the review, successful care and justice prevention strategies include:

• early identification and intervention
• the use of respite and shared care arrangements
• intensive family support
• flexible funding, and
• training and education.

Collaboration and consultation among government agencies, service professionals and whānau is key to effectiveness.

An internationally recognised model emerged as effective. In this ‘twin track’ approach, Track 1 focuses on initiatives for the general public, while Track 2 focuses on initiatives specifically for disabled people. This model ensures that:

• mainstream services are accessible to disabled people, and
• services specific to disabled people are easily accessed, giving disabled people choice.

Lastly, we identified the value of models that look at how different factors combine to increase the risk of violence and abuse aimed at disabled people. These models help to explain the experiences of disabled people and reveal opportunities for prevention.