Professionals' Perspectives on Partnering with Families of Individuals with ID

Background Since individuals with intellectual disability (ID) and their parents rely on a wide variety of support and services from helping professionals such as social workers, teachers, and therapists, family-professional partnership is an important area of research. Although past research sheds light on parental views on partnership, relatively few studies have focused on professionals' perspectives. Specific Aims The aim of this study was to capture the perspectives of ID professionals on partnering with families of individuals with ID. Method Forty-three ID professionals participated in a focus group that included open-ended questions on characteristics of their most and least effective partnerships with families, and supportive and challenging factors in forming partnerships with parents. Findings Thematic analyses of the focus group responses helped uncover five themes: (1) clear, honest, and respectful communication between professionals and families, (2) the quality of relationship between the professional and the client's family, (3) professionals' and parents' knowledge and experience in the ID field, (4) degree to which a family is involved, and (5) realistic expectations. Discussion These findings can inform both the training of future professionals and parent education initiatives, and in turn, positively impact the quality of parent-professional partnerships.