Family factors influencing out-of-home placement decisions.
Placement thoughts come from family exhaustion, not weak love—fix sleep, money, and respite first.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Schlundt et al. (1999) talked to families who were thinking about moving their child with severe disabilities out of the home.
They asked what pushed parents toward that choice.
The families loved their kids but felt they might break under pressure.
What they found
One in four families had already looked for placement or were close to doing so.
The main reason was family survival, not lack of love.
Parents wanted the child at home, yet sleep loss, safety risks, and no help made it feel impossible.
How this fits with other research
Danitz et al. (2014) and Benderix et al. (2006) later showed the same parents felt guilt and grief after placement, but also relief.
Together the papers trace a clear arc: stress builds, parents choose placement, then need support to cope.
McIntyre et al. (2002) adds that severe behavior problems in older youth are a big driver, matching the survival theme G found.
Giofrè et al. (2014) flips the lens: high support and money ease stress and may delay placement, showing prevention is possible.
Why it matters
When a family mentions placement, hear survival stress first, not rejection. Ask about sleep, money, and respite, then link to night help, cash aid, or brief in-home nursing. Easing these loads can keep the child home longer and keep the family whole.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Flying in the face of national community care policies, families of young children with severe disabilities continue to seek out-of-home placement The present paper explores the factors which influence families to care for their children at home or to place them out-of-home. Data for the present study were derived from a qualitative in-depth study of the everyday family life experiences of 167 families of young children with a disability and high support needs. One hundred and twenty-five (75%) of these families definitely did not want to place their child, 32 (19%) were undecided, and 10 (6%) were actively seeking or had already sought placement. Coded interview data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis to reveal eight factors influencing everyday family life. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences between the three groups of families on three out of the eight factors. The families' views about placing their child were compared across the three groups using text analysis techniques. Without exception, the primary desire of all families was to care for their child at home. However, when placement was considered a possibility, even if remote, the most frequently reported reasons were family 'survival' and mitigating circumstances. The finding that one-quarter of the families had already sought or were considering placement for children in this young age range is provocative. The implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 1999 · doi:10.1046/j.1365-2788.1999.00189.x