The impact of regular respite on parental relationships
Research type
Research Study
Full title
‘Can we fix it?!’: Understanding the impact of children’s hospices on parental relationships of life limited and threatened children and young people
IRAS ID
117354
Contact name
Ashley Mitchell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bournemouth University
Research summary
It is estimated that 40,000 families in the UK have palliative care requirements (Fraiser et al, 2012) with UK children’s hospices accepting 1,578 referrals for support in 2010/11 alone (Devanney et al, 2011). Having a child with a disability can place a huge strain on parents, who often experience lack of time for each other, dealing with grief, financial pressures and social isolation (Glenn 2007; Contact a Family 2011). Hence, research has highlighted a high incidences of divorce or separation for such parents. The cost to the state of family breakdown is high, with some suggesting the cost could be as high as 41.74 billion pounds (Wong 2011). With this in mind, supporting stability in families is of great importance and the financial costs of family breakdown and ways of reducing these costs are high on the political agenda (Contact a Family 2011).
This research investigates the influences of different models of respite care for families of life threatened and limited children and young people on parental relationships. The project will qualitatively interview parents across the UK to inform the development of a national questionnaire. Participants will be recruited in partnership with participating children’s hospices identified through the Together For Short Lives network. It is hoped that the research will demonstrate a positive impact that regular and frequent respite has on parental relationships, inform policy on how families should be supported and give parents a voice to express their views.
REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/SC/0270
Date of REC Opinion
20 Sep 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion