'Doing the "Right" Thing': How parents experience and manage decision-making for children's 'Normalising' surgeries

► Parents' decisions for children's elective, 'normalising' surgeries in England were examined using cleft lip and palate as an exemplar. ► Parents saw the pursuit of 'normalising' surgeries to facilitate their child's social inclusion as a 'moral' obligation. ► Specialist practitioners were firmly trusted, but parents could be vulnerable to unequal power relationships with them. ► Parents' decision-making in this context is complex and involves strong emotional, social and cultural influences. ► Services could support parents by gauging their emotional/decisional needs and helping them consider all available options.