Evaluación de los servicios de atención a familias de niños con deficiencia. perspectiva de familiares y profesionales brasileños

Abstract

Introduction.- This study aims to investigate the services offered and the attention given to families from the perspective of the families of disabled children and professionals of the Brazilian institutions that attended them. Methods and procedures.- There were 80 participants, divided into two categories: family members (n = 54) and professionals (n = 26), belonging to five institutions catering to children with disabilities. For data collection, a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview model were used. Results.- The qualitative analysis of the interviews shows that the care offered to families was mostly sporadic and informal, conducted by an individual or group. Evaluations of professionals and families indicated that there were some positive points such as emotional support and guidance on parental relationships and children's deficiency and development. As for the negative side, the experts pointed out that the services and care for the family were not a priority, and the families assessed those services as inadequate and not enough to fulfil their needs. Discussion and Conclusions.- The results indicate that family interventions are focused on the child in isolation and based on a model centred on the expert. Considering the importance of promoting early intervention, it is necessary to implement changes that improve the quality of family interventions. © 2012: Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Murcia.