Key network to ensure rights for parents with learning disabilities & learning difficulties is moving to a new home

6 March 2025

Vital service that supports professionals working with parents with learning disabilities/difficulties is moving from the University of Bristol to Research in Practice

The Working Together with Parents Network (WTPN) works to support professionals working with parents with learning difficulties and learning disabilities and their children. This unique professional network has over 1,000 members from across the UK in the health, social care, independent advocacy and legal sectors, working with parents with learning disabilities.

The network, set up by Beth Tarleton, Senior Research Fellow in the School for Policy Studies and based at the University of Bristol for 18 years moved this week to Research in Practice at the National Children's Bureau, with the launch of a new website with good practice guidance and other resources and a welcome webinar on 10 April.

Beth Tarleton said,

“It’s great to see the network moving to Research In practice at the National Children’s Bureau as I know they will do a brilliant job working with social workers, Local Authorities and policy makers to ensure they are aware of these parents’ right to support and how parents can be supported.”

Research and campaigning work

Research undertaken at the School for Policy Studies has directly supported the network’s aims of campaigning to make sure parents with learning disabilities and learning difficulties and their children are treated fairly, that their legal rights are respected and they have the support they need.

Beth Tarleton* led on research into the issues impacting on support for this group and how support can be provided (Summary Adult services and parents with learning disabilities and Substituted Parenting: What does this mean in the family court?) and Nadine Tilbury**, former Policy Officer, led on campaigning for parents right to support. Nadine used her legal background to support members to understand if parents’ cases were being treated appropriately. Nadine also updated the Good practice guidance on working with parents with a learning disability twice, in 2026 and 2021 and was awarded an MBE in the 2025 New Year's Honours List for services to Promoting the Rights of Disabled Parents for this work.

Making a difference in the courts

As well as being the creator and co-ordinator of the WTPN, Beth was the lead author of Finding the Right Support (2006). This groundbreaking report was heavily referenced by Gillen J, the judge in a seminal Northern Ireland case in 2006, G And A (Care Order: Freeing Order: Parents With A Learning Disability) which itself is, almost without exception, referenced by family courts in cases involving parents with learning disabilities.

The Good Practice on working with parents with a learning disability is now regularly referenced by the family courts and has been commended by senior judiciary, including: in 2018, by the then President of the Family Division Sir James; in 2003, by the current Family Division President, Sir Andrew McFarlane; and in 2022, by Mrs Justice Knowles.

Proud history of working with Research in Practice

The School for Policy Studies, at the University of Bristol, already has close links with Research in Practice through its research projects about support for parents with learning disabilities. We are proud that Dez Holmes, Strategic Director of the National Children's Bureau and Director of Research in Practice, is an alumna of the BSc Early Childhood Studies programme (now BSc Childhood Studies) in the School for Policy Studies. Dez was recently award a MBE for services to improving social care practice.

Further information

We are grateful to the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the Baring Foundation and the Nuffield Foundation for their previous support of the WTPN.

* Beth Tarleton is a Senior Lecturer at the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol whose research focuses on supporting parents with learning disabilities. Beth has been the co-ordinator of the Working Together with Parents network while it was based at the University of Bristol. Beth teaches about disability studies and qualitative/inclusive methods.

** Nadine Tilbury, was the Policy Officer for the Working Together with Parents Network for over ten years. Her legal and policy background included local authority, private practice and the civil service.