Mentally Retarded Children’s Social Support Network From Social Work Perspective

Mentally retarded children are the vulnerable groups of society, good or bad growth reflects the level of social civilization.Tang baby with Down syndrome is one of the mentally challenged children, they more than normal chromosome21, suffers from a chromosomal variability disease. China has nearly thirty thousand Tang baby was born, in recent years, fertility Tang baby ever younger trend, many family commitments can not imagine the pain and hardship, the society also bear the huge economic burden. Various welfare and security policy of the mentally challenged children in China is not perfect, and support the Down Syndrome child welfare policy is missing.This study used qualitative research methods, trying to mentally retarded children’s social support network analysis of social work perspective. In this study, in-depth interviews Chengdu Tang societies10parents of Tang’s children, the Secretary-General of the Association staff and volunteers understand their informal social support, quasi official social support, the official social support and professional technical support situation, analyze their shared needs.The interviews found that parents are most worried about Tang matter of survival after the baby, will soon come to be able to live with dignity. In reality, the four dimensions of social support system, informal social support from family meet the material and spiritual needs, only to meet the spiritual comfort of infomial social support from relatives, friends, the neighborhood, colleagues the demand; quasi-formal community support very much lacking, can not meet the needs parent support and access to relevant information; the official social support from the government, schools, hospitals can meet the parents information. Tang baby education, rehabilitation needs, but can not meet the needs of the parent material aspects; provide professional technical support from social workers to meet the parents equal respect, Tang baby care, spiritual comfort needs, but the lack of service agencies, the need to increase the types of services, and service the technology needs to be improved. In the course of the study, I constantly into families of Tang’s children, with casework, group work, community work to link their informal social support, the quasi-official support and formal support, Tang baby family with a professional approach to reduce the imbalance between the demand and social support networks to achieve optimal allocation of resources and help Tang healthy growth of babies.Based study found that on the basis of practical experience in social work, I propose the establishment of intellectual relatives and friends, the establishment of the Tang baby Parents Support Group, the sound Down syndrome children’s social security system, the establishment of more special education schools, the implementation of home-school interactionand school social interaction, encourage and support the development of the related non-profit organizations, purchase additional professional social work services, innovative forms of service and integrity services regulatory system policy recommendations.