We live in a time that, despite the ongoing economic crisis, is increasingly child-oriented and favorable to them. There are more "baby friendly" events, restaurants and means of transport, kindergartens are full, and even if it seems to us that the socioeconomic situation is not very favorable to parenting, compared to previous generations, the conditions for families are increasingly favorable and flexible, for example regarding the possibility of additional income or child care. With this, there is also an increase in non-standard and variously disadvantaged couples - those who decide to have and raise children despite a more serious health handicap, couples disadvantaged economically, socio-culturally or in other ways. The social and health system reacts to this situation and adapts to it, but the pace and extent of this adaptation is not always sufficient. Let's try to compare how the beginnings of parenthood look like for a healthy couple, for a couple with a handicap and for a socially disadvantaged couple (ie, for example, people living in a squat, in a dormitory or in another temporary place). Parenthood Planning During my entire practice at the Institute of Social Care for Physically Disabled Youth in Brno - Králové Polík, I only once met a client who came with the problem "I can't take care of my child." On the other hand, cases like: "parents prevent us from going out together because they are afraid that we would want to have children and not take care of them" could be counted by dozens. It is common for people with a handicap who decide to start a family to struggle not only with their health disadvantage, but also with disapproval or even zero support from their parents and their surroundings. At the same time, the majority of them are actively interested in their possibilities and limitations during pregnancy and the risks of possible transmission of the defect to their children in relation to their diagnosis.
Economically or socially disadvantaged people often become parents unplanned, but this is not the rule. Very often they are troubled by housing problems and this tends to influence their decision whether to continue the pregnancy or not. The lack of places in shelters and social housing does not contribute much to a good solution. For some of them, parenthood can also appear as a solution to a personal or financial crisis or unemployment – the parental allowance for the three-year variant of parental leave is almost identical to the minimum wage. They often do not look too far into the future, and their idea of the child's needs and the financial costs for them is sometimes very vague, so they may need help with organizing their social situation and social counseling in general. The problem is often the incompatibility of the ideas of the counseling staff with the possibilities and abilities of the client, so that then it happens that one or the other party gives up help. But in general, even a small change for the better is better than nothing.
The information deficit can also be blamed on the lack of systematic sex education in many special schools. It is interesting that although we have career counselors in every elementary school, there are no workers who are specifically focused on helping with the parental role. They would also be needed in the general population, and even more among those who cannot consult about these issues at home and it may be more difficult for them to obtain information from books or the Internet.
Pregnancy and childbirth Even doctors may lack current information about the possibilities and risks of pregnancy in various health defects and diseases. We still encounter the fact that when a person with a handicap asks his doctor how it is with his possibilities to have and raise children, he does not get a well-founded, emotionally neutral answer, and in the case of socially disadvantaged persons, for example former drug users, the situation will probably be even more difficult. It is not certain who is actually supposed to give an informed opinion on the issues of possible damage to the fetus in mothers - former or current drug addicts. In no way do I want to defend the conception of a child by fetid parents, I only want to emphasize that the situation of such a child, which is already primarily bad due to drug addiction, is often secondary worsened by the lack of professional help, hiding the pregnancy, the inability of the parents to find any housing at all and deficiencies in nutrition. Among other things, these factors increase the possibility of the birth of a handicapped or medically disadvantaged child. The possibility of checking and monitoring health risks is also determined to a certain extent by whether the future mother has her documents in order. The Czech system does not take into account the frequent relocation of the mother-to-be.
During the period of childbirth, problems may arise in maternity hospitals. The delivery room is a place where the life of both mother and child can depend on timely and correct communication of symptoms. Educated parents with a hearing impairment who are not sure of their speech understanding often take some kind of communication aid or even an interpreter with them, but for example a communication table or simple instructions for communicating basic information in sign language, which would be available in all departments, would be very useful. In the often overcrowded maternity wards, a difficult situation also sometimes arises with the accommodation of accompanying persons for the deaf, as well as for mothers with borderline intellect or mild mental retardation. This problem can be partially prevented by timely probing the situation in individual maternity hospitals in the area and by making preliminary arrangements with doctors (while also anticipating the possibility of premature birth). Non-standard mothers are generally more dependent on the care of a specific doctor and it is advisable that they should be treated preferentially by one who has experience in caring for patients with their or a similar diagnosis.
Child care, parental leave Disadvantaged families often have more difficult housing conditions than the majority population. Therefore, they often use some of the forms of housing that do not take children into account (social welfare facilities, some types of hostels or shelters). Other forms of accommodation, on the other hand, are primarily intended for mothers with children, and thus can force a family, which is already in a very difficult situation, to temporarily split up. Where two, perhaps not quite ideal, but nevertheless parents could complement each other, the model "one caring parent with the help of professional staff" comes into play, while the other becomes a kind of "visitor" in his own family.
These parents also tend to have less knowledge about how to take care of a child. On the Internet, where the majority of the population can find enough materials, there is a lack of sites specialized in parenting with disabilities. Clubs uniting carriers of specific defects often help new parents with the same diagnosis very selflessly, but this does not cover the entire spectrum of diseases and handicaps. Even worse is the supply of information from the natural environment - where an ordinary person turns to parents, friends or simply asks mothers at the sandpit, these people often have no one to help them. The neighborhood either wants to help, but can't, at other times "other" parents may be reluctant to turn to him for help. Disadvantaged parents may also struggle with a sense of guilt or rather with the conviction of some people from the neighborhood that they should not have children. The fear that someone will blame them for something as obvious as having children can discourage them from seeking help and support from experts - doctors, psychologists, social and outreach workers, rehabilitation workers, and the like. In addition to a positive attitude and available help, it is often necessary to work with these barriers as well.
However, positive aspects in the field of caring for parents with disabilities also appear: For example, web-based counseling works for the deaf http://www.n-maminkam.estranky.cz/, project Mom and Dad on a wheelchair is part of the Paraple Center (www.paraple.cz) and specializes in parents with mobility disabilities, and the Drop in center (www.drop-in.cz) deals with the issue of drug-addicted pregnant women and parents (but rather from a professional point of view). There is still a lack of a larger overarching project, similar to abroad, for example www.disableparenting.net.
M.Sc. Petra Štarková www.petrastarkova.cz
Used literature: VÍTKOVÁ, K. With a belly and a handicap. Aperitif http://www.dobromysl.cz/scripts/detail.php?id=1302 JIRÁSKOVÁ, K. Specificity of partner relationships of adolescents with a visual handicap. Masaryk University Faculty of Pedagogy, 2007
Professional magazine Social services - 3/2012
The professional monthly Sociální služby is the most widespread periodical in the field of social services in the Czech Republic. Its publisher is the Association of Social Services Providers of the Czech Republic (APSS ČR), the largest professional organization uniting providers of all types and types of social services in the Czech Republic. Its membership currently consists of more than 720 organizations, which means over 1,600 registered services.
Cover and contents of issue ZDE (PDF, 733KB)
The magazine Sociální služby was created in 2009 as a result of the transformation of the former APSS ČR Newsletter. It is published ten times a year on 36-48 pages in A4 format in a circulation of 3,500-4,000 copies for approximately 16,000 readers from the ranks of providers, founders and users of social services, representatives of public administration, students and university teachers in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
More information can be obtained on the websites http://www.socialnisluzby.eu and http://www.apsscr.cz.
Orders for member organizations of APSS ČR are processed directly by the publisher or editorial office at the address: Kotnovská 137, 390 05 Tábor, Czech Republic, phone/fax: +420 381 213 332, mobile + 420 606 751 156 or +420 606 832 551, e-mail: redakce@apsscr.cz.