Bloch, Steven; (2026) Developing collaborative relationships between professionals and parents of children with neurodisability: a meta-narrative review. Current Developmental Disorders Reports (In press).

Text Bloch_2nd Resubmission Hayward Developing Collaborative Relationships.pdf Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 30 October 2025. Download (355kB)

Abstract

Purpose of review: Parents of children with complex neurodisabilities have multiple encounters with healthcare and disability professionals. Many parents view these encounters as unsatisfactory, citing a failure of professionals to listen to their perspectives. This meta-narrative review provides a novel synthesis of the research traditions examining parent-professional collaboration. This re-evaluation of collaborative relationships is timely given current dialogues within children’s services in response to evolving understandings of disability and neurodiversity. // Recent findings: Seven research traditions are described with roots in: social justice, social ecology and sociology, community psychology, adolescent psychiatry, special education, cultural anthropology, and critical disability studies. // Summary: This review highlights several ‘mixed messages’ arising between policies and experiences which can create discord between parents and professionals; along with institutional contexts which prohibit relationship building. Flexible and responsive services are challenging to deliver yet co-developed interventions which value parents’ knowledge and skills are an important driver for institutional and policy change.

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