Parenthood study
What do people with learning disabilities think about having children?
Hello, my name is Katrina. I am a postgraduate student at Newcastle University. I want to hear the views of people with learning disabilities. This is called doing research.
What is the research about?
I want to find out what people with learning disabilities think about having children.
What will happen?
If you want to take part, you must be aged 18 or over. I will ask you some questions and this is called an interview.
The interview will last around 30-60 minutes.
It will be by phone or videocall, you can choose which works best for you.
If you need help working the phone or videocall then you can ask a family member or care worker to help you with this.
A family member or care worker can sit with you in the interview if you want, but they cannot answer the questions because I want to know what you think.
To help me remember what you say I will record what you say, and I might write some notes.
In the interview I might tell you short stories to help you think of things to say.
What will you be asked about?
I want to talk to you about family, relationships and children.
I want to know if having a child is something you have ever thought about.
There are no right or wrong answers.
You should only tell me things you are happy talking about.
If you tell me anything that means you, or someone else, could be in danger then I will have to tell someone. I will tell you if I have to do this.
If any of the questions make you feel upset or embarrassed, you can tell me. If this happens, I can ask you a different question or we can stop the interview.
If you feel sad or upset afterwards, I can give you the details of some organisations that might be able to help you.
What happens if you want to take part?
If you want to take part, we will talk on the phone or video call so you can ask me any questions about the research before the interview.
You will be given some time to think about whether or not you still want to take part.
If you still want to take part in the research, I will record you saying you are happy doing this.
This means that you are giving your consent.
I will talk to you more about this before you give your consent, and you can still ask me questions.
What will happen to the recordings?
Only I will listen to the recordings to help me remember what you have said.
I will type your answers up on my computer and I will change your name to protect your identity.
I will delete the voice recording after I have typed up the interview to make sure no one else can listen to it.
Stopping the research:
If you want to stop the interview you can tell me or hold up the red STOP card, I can send this in the post to you if you want.
If you want to leave the research completely you can do this at any time, and it’s OK.
You do not need to say why, and I will not use any of your answers in the research.
Your voice recording will be deleted straight away.
What will happen with the research is finished?
I will use your answers to write a big piece of work called a thesis.
The thesis will tell other people what you and others have told me about parenthood and having children.
If you have more questions:
You can ask me if you have questions about the research.
If you have any questions after the research has finished, you can ask your support worker or someone close to you to contact me.
They can also help you contact my supervisors if you are unhappy with anything about the research.
Contact details
Katrina parenthoodstudy@newcastle.ac.uk
Research supervisors:
Prof. Janice McLaughlin
janice.mclaughlin@newcastle.ac.uk
Dr Sarah Winkler-Reid
Sarah.Winkler-Reid@newcastle.ac.uk
Thank you for reading!
