Forms of support

Competence-inhibiting support

Based on the assumption that parents are incapable of managing on their own and tends to be demotivating, crisis-orientated and unresponsive to parents' views of their needs.

Competence-promoting support

Allows parents to feel in control, encourages them to handle their problems on their own, and reinforces and develops their skills and sense of self-worth.

Further reading:

'Learning the hard way: practice issues in supporting parents with learning difficulties', Social Work and Social Sciences Review, 4(2), 1993, pp. 148-162.