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Reported barriers to the implementation of person-centred planning for people with intellectual disabilities in the UK
- Authors:
- ROBERTSON Janet, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 20(4), July 2007, pp.297-307.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Research in the US and UK has demonstrated the effectiveness of person-centred planning (PCP) for people with intellectual disabilities. However, it is important to acknowledge problems that arise when implementing PCP. This paper considers barriers to PCP reported during a longitudinal study of the impact of PCP. Person-centred planning was introduced over a 2-year period for 93 people of whom 65 had a plan developed. Information was collected regarding barriers to PCP every 3 months from key informants using self-completion questionnaires. Barriers to PCP were widespread particularly in relation to: availability of trained facilitators; availability of services; lack of time and reluctance of people other than paid support staff to engage in the PCP process. It is concluded that services need to be aware of potential barriers to PCP so that strategies can be developed to overcome them, the first of which should be the ongoing training and support of facilitators.
Participation in sports by people with intellectual disabilities in England: a brief report
- Authors:
- ROBERTSON Janet, EMERSON Eric
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 23(6), November 2010, pp.616-622.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Sports participation has often been linked to a range of physical, social and mental health benefits. However, little is known about the extent to which people with intellectual disabilities take part in sports. This study investigated participation in sports and factors associated with participation by people with intellectual disabilities in England. Data on participation in sports and measures of personal characteristics, living situation, social participation, and socioeconomic status associated with participation were analysed based on a sample of 2,784 people with intellectual disabilities in England. Findings revealed that, overall, 41% of participants had taken part in sports in the past month, most of whom had enjoyed it. Of those who did not take part, 34% said they would like to. Participation in sport was associated with some personal characteristics but not with support needs. It was also associated with indicators of socioeconomic status. The authors concluded that interventions to increase participation in sports by people with intellectual disabilities may make a significant contribution to improving their general health and well-being.
The mental health needs of children and adolescents with learning disabilities in Manchester: results of a city-wide survey
- Authors:
- EMERSON Eric, ROBERTSON Janet
- Publisher:
- University of Lancaster. Institute for Health Research
- Publication year:
- 2002
- Pagination:
- 20p.
- Place of publication:
- Manchester
Just under half of all school-age children with learning difficulties in Manchester also have significant mental health needs. Significant levels of unmet mental health need were more common among children who were more delayed in the area of communication and children who had difficulty seeing. Just under half of the informal carers (primarily mothers) of children with learning difficulties in Manchester also have significant mental health needs. Significant levels of unmet mental health need were more common among carers who were bringing up a child who had significant mental health problems or a child who was more delayed in communicating, belonged to a South Asian minority ethnic community or lived in central Manchester. Specialised services for children with mental health needs only reached a minority of children in need.
Future demand for services for young adults with learning disabilities from South Asian and black communities in Birmingham
- Authors:
- EMERSON Eric, ROBERTSON Janet
- Publisher:
- University of Lancaster. Institute for Health Research
- Publication year:
- 2001
- Pagination:
- 61p.
- Place of publication:
- Lancaster
South Asian families supporting a child or adult with learning disabilities at home often do so in the face of considerable social and economic adversity. Poverty and poor housing are endemic. South Asian carers receive little support from outside of their immediate family. Two thirds of carers receive no help at all with care from either their own or their spouse’s family. Semi-formal supports such as Parent Support Groups, Social Groups, and Temples or Mosques, play a very small role as a source of support for carers. Carers face considerable difficulties in getting access to specialist support services.
Quality and costs of community-based residential support for people with learning difficulties and challenging behaviour
- Authors:
- ROBERTSON Janet, et al
- Publisher:
- University of Lancaster. Institute for Health Research
- Publication year:
- 2002
- Pagination:
- 24p.
- Place of publication:
- Lancaster
The aim was to compare the quality and costs of two approaches to providing community-based residential supports to people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour: non-congregate settings where the minority of residents have challenging behaviour; and congregate settings where the majority of residents have challenging behaviour. Congregate care was associated with higher costs, higher staffing ratios, and better quality internal working practices. However, these inputs did not translate to better outcomes for residents. Non-congregate care was associated with greater access to day activities, less reliance of medication and physical restraint to control challenging behaviour, and less risk. Levels of staff contact and participant engagement were low across both models of care.
Staff stress and morale in community-based settings for people with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour: a brief report
- Authors:
- ROBERTSON Janet, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 18(3), September 2005, pp.271-277.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This study looked at stress, morale and intended job turnover in staff in two types of community-based residential supports: non-congregate settings where the minority of residents have challenging behaviour; and congregate settings where the majority of residents have challenging behaviour. A self-completion survey questionnaire was used to collect information on the basic characteristics of staff, levels of staff stress, job satisfaction and propensity to leave their employment. One hundred and fifty-seven questionnaires were returned from staff, the majority of whom were on fixed-term contracts. Congregate settings were not associated with higher levels of stress as might be assumed. Overall, over a quarter of staff reached criterion on the General Health Questionnaire-12 for experiencing emotional distress, and over a third were likely to actively seek new employment in the next year. The greatest perceived sources of stress were lack of resources and lack of staff support. The lowest level of satisfaction was with the rate of pay. Those in non-congregate settings reported greater perceived stress because of lack of procedures to deal with challenging behaviour. The authors concluded that high levels of intended staff turnover may be more due to job insecurity and lack of support than service user challenging behaviour. Employers seeking to reduce turnover should pay attention to basic pay and conditions, as well as staff training in appropriate methods for dealing with challenging behaviour.
The association between area-level indicators of social deprivation and the emotional and behavioural needs of Black and South Asian children with intellectual disabilities in a deprived urban environment
- Authors:
- EMERSON Eric, ROBERTSON Janet, WOOD Justin
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 20(5), September 2007, pp.420-429.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This study used a cross-sectional survey of teacher-reported emotional and behavioural needs among 386 South Asian children and 118 Black children in a deprived urban area in Birmingham, England. The results suggested that: (i) teachers reported higher rates of emotional and behavioural needs among Black (when compared with South Asian) children; (ii) increased rates of emotional and behavioural needs were generally associated with older child age, lower child ability, the absence of sensory impairments and male gender; and (iii) neighbourhood deprivation was associated with variation in emotional and behavioural need differently for the two ethnic groups. For Black children, increased deprivation was associated with increased need. However, for South Asian children increased deprivation was associated with decreased need. Results are discussed in relation to ‘group density effects’ which may reflect the potentially moderating effects of social support on the relationship between socioeconomic deprivation and mental health.
The impact of person centred planning
- Authors:
- ROBERTSON Janet, et al
- Publisher:
- Lancaster University. Institute for Health Research
- Publication year:
- 2005
- Pagination:
- 125p.
- Place of publication:
- Lancaster
The initial results show that person centred planning led to positive changes for individuals. Some changes were short-lived, but some continued beyond the end of the project. People experienced ongoing positive changes in the size of their social networks, their circle of friends, their presence in the community and the extent and range of their daytime activities. Changes were also seen in people’s contact with their families and the amount of choice available to them, but these improvements were not sustained. People with a plan were more likely to have access to some advocacy and health services. Some negative changes were reported in relation to people’s emotional, behavioural and health problems. These findings are not entirely surprising given that some people find change stressful; that new environments are more likely to seem risky (whether they really are or not); and that person centred planning tends to highlight existing health problems and get help with them. The overall message is that person centred planning was beneficial for people taking part in the study. It is also effective as a policy in promoting community involvement, changing daytime activities, extending contacts with families and friends, and improving choice for people with learning disabilities.