Author
FOUNDATION FOR PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES.
Title
Learning with families: a training resource.
Publisher
Mental Health Foundation, 2003
Summary
This pack is described as a training resource with a difference - family carers, who are also encouraged to deliver the training alongside professionals, developed the contents to train staff working in learning disability services.
Context
The White Paper Valuing people (2001) called for a new relationship between families and staff in learning disability services, proposing the involvement of family carers in staff training and development which, it is said, can help staff understand the experiences of families.
Contents
An introduction gives the aim as to enable staff to have a greater understanding of what it means for families to have a relative with a learning disability and how this can affect their relationships with professionals. It discusses the background, and explains that the resource consists of eight sections with handouts and overheads, a video presenting the experiences and views of four families to be used in conjunction with the written materials, and an evaluation form. How it was developed, how to use it, the number of participants (ideally 10-16), preparation for training, and delivering the training are outlined. A table maps the content of this publication to the learning outcomes of LDAF Unit 016: Contribute to supporting relationships - families, carers and friends. The resource has two core components.
Section A: 'Introduction to learning with families', introduces participants to the programme and enables them to discuss positive and negative aspects of family networks and consider the particular characteristics of families with a relative with a learning disability.
Section B, 'Life in the family home', should enable participants to gain an understanding of life in the family home by looking at the impact of having a family member with a learning disability, the difficulties which family carers can have in acknowledging their need for services and the needs of older family carers.
Further sections are: Section C aims to help participants understand some of the feelings family carers experience when it is time to plan ahead and how to promote better planning, support and decision-making; D should help participants understand how family carers and professionals can develop effective partnerships; E intends that participants should gain greater understanding of the feelings and emotions family carers experience when their relative with a learning disability leaves home, the preparations needed and adjustments which must be made following a move; F's aim is to bring understanding of the changes that affect family members when their relative with a learning disability moves from full-time education to different daytime activities and the importance of a satisfying way of life; G should help participants understand the difficulties family carers may have in acknowledging their need for breaks from caring, the benefits of short-term breaks for the person with a learning disability and their family carers, and that short-term breaks may serve as a preparation for the future; and H aims to help participants understand how family carers and professionals can communicate more effectively with one another to maximise available resources and experience.
Appendix 1 gives guidelines for those new to training, and Appendix 2 is the evaluation form.
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