The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the need for multi-agency collaborative partnerships with parents of children with special needs. Many families have had to amend their daily routines without the standard support they would have had in normal circumstances. Compounding this crisis is the high level of anxiety that parents experience. Hence, this unprecedented and uncertain time calls for collaborative partnerships with parents of children with special needs.
This collaborative partnership should be based on respect and the balance of power between parents and educators or service providers. Furthermore, any partnership developed should be beneficial to the parties involved, allow for the confidence-building, and lead to better outcomes for parents and children.
While the results mentioned above are achievable, barriers can potentially impact this partnership, especially within our present context. These barriers include parents’ work schedules, socioeconomic factors associated with COVID-19, low self-esteem, health factors, psychosocial factors, and other factors involved in caring for a child with special needs. Consequently, it will be imperative that current and emerging partnerships with parents of special needs children have a policy that will provide a collaborative partnership with these parents. A collaborative multi-agency partnership with these parents during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond would ensure:
The elements mentioned above can only be achieved within the context of multi-agency collaboration. This approach will allow for a central support system, and an essential person will be needed to coordinate the support required for each family. Otherwise, the support will be fragmented, duplicated, or ineffective. For additional information on the benefits of a multi-agency approach, I recommend that you read England’s policy on ‘Every Child Matters’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-matters).
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