Livelihood support for caregivers of children with developmental disabilities: findings from a scoping review and stakeholder survey

Abstract

Purpose: Poverty amongst families with a child with disability adversely impacts child and family quality of life. We aimed to identify existing approaches to livelihood support for caregivers of children with developmental disabilities in low- and middle-income countries.

Methods: This mixed-method study incorporated a scoping literature review and online stakeholder survey. We utilised the World Health Organization community-based rehabilitation (CBR) matrix as a guiding framework for knowledge synthesis and descriptively analysed the included articles and survey responses.

Results: We included 11 peer-reviewed publications, 6 grey literature articles, and 49 survey responses from stakeholders working in 22 countries. Identified programmes reported direct and indirect strategies for livelihood support targeting multiple elements of the CBR matrix; particularly skills development, access to social protection measures, and self-employment; frequently in collaboration with specialist partners, and as one component of a wider intervention. Self-help groups were also common. No publications examined effectiveness of livelihood support approaches in mitigating poverty, with most describing observational studies at small scale.

Conclusion: Whilst stakeholders describe a variety of direct and indirect approaches to livelihood support for caregivers of children with disabilities, there is a lack of published literature on content, process, and impact to inform future programme development and delivery.

Keywords: Livelihood; caregiver; child disability; intervention; low- and middle-income countries.