Preventive and creative approaches to social work practice: Understanding and responding to the needs of families with children with disabilities and additional needs

To address the gap in preventative support, the aim of the FDW role is to offer support for parents and cares of children with disabilities and additional needs, who do not meet the criteria to access services through the children with disabilities social work team. This Welsh evaluation included a survey for professionals (n=23) and parents/carers (n=5) to explore their attitudes on the new Family Disability Worker (FDW) role. Following this, a series of semi-structured interviews were completed to gather the experiences of professionals (n=23) and parents/carers (n=3) of working with the FDW.
The findings suggest the development of preventative social work practice to reduce isolation and support these families to feel connected to their community. The participants shared attitudes and experiences supporting the development of the FDW role, to enhance and develop creative and strength-based approaches to social work practice operationalised through a new FDW practice toolkit.