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Reflections on doing inclusive research in the “Making Life Good in the Community” study
- Authors:
- BIGBY Christine, FRAWLEY Patsie
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 35(2), June 2010, pp.53-61.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The involvement of people with intellectual disability in research is framed as inclusive, denoting their active participation in its processes. However, questions are raised about ownership and control, genuineness of involvement, and the need for honest accounts to develop practice. This study used action research to reflect on and progressively refine the support provided by a research mentor to a co-researcher with intellectual disability employed on a large multimethod study. The co-researcher with intellectual disability was employed to be involved in the investigation of ‘homeliness’ in the ‘Making Life Good in the Community’ study. This paper describes the process of supporting the co-researcher rather than the findings of the research. The paper concludes that accepting the co-researcher's strengths and designing support on the job rather than teaching them to ‘pass’ before venturing out in the field are important in ceding control. Support required for a co-researcher is more than practical and involves developing a relationship that can actively challenge views and foster reflection. Ownership of questions and disseminating of outcomes are hampered by contextual factors such as tender processes, short-term positions, and a failure to acknowledge the support required to present findings.
Written out of history: invisible women in intellectual disability social work
- Authors:
- BIGBY Christine, ATKINSON Dorothy
- Journal article citation:
- Australian Social Work, 63(1), March 2010, pp.4-17.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The area of intellectual disability is an important field of social work practice in both Britain and Australia. Yet this is also a multidisciplinary field in which the role of social workers, particularly women, in contributing to the lives of people with intellectual disability and their families has largely gone unnoticed. Focusing on England and Victoria, Australia in particular, this paper uses oral history interviews with 3 long-standing social workers, and documentary evidence including government reports and newspaper coverage, to explore the similarity in the roles of social workers in intellectual disability. It covers the period between the beginning of social work in this field, which in the case of England was 1929 and in Victoria 1952, until the end of the 1990s. Work with families is identified as being central in both countries, as well as mediating relationship between institutions and services, families, and the community, and service development and advocacy. The paper concludes by asking questions about the disappearance of identified social work positions in this field and how their previous roles are fulfilled.
Group homes for people with intellectual disabilities: encouraging inclusion and participation
- Authors:
- CLEMENT Tim, BIGBY Christine
- Publisher:
- Jessica Kingsley
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 285p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
Group homes are the dominant form of residential accommodation for people with severe learning or intellectual disabilities. The authors suggest that while well-managed group homes can realise good outcomes for residents, many settings are underperforming. “Group home” has become a generic term but here the authors “rescue” it and define it as accommodation for between four and six people where extensive or pervasive paid staff support is provided to the residents, both in the home and when leaving it to use community based settings. This book seeks to highlight the key issues for both residents and staff, and offers practical suggestions for improving community living. Based on original empirical research and drawing on extensive field notes, it paints a picture of life in group homes today. The authors propose a framework for increasing community presence and participation, and consider the barriers to be overcome if progress is to be made in achieving these key goals. The notion of 'homeliness', the challenge of maintaining a balance between individual and group needs and the concept of practice leadership are all explored.
A five-country comparative review of accommodation support policies for older people with intellectual disability
- Author:
- BIGBY Christine
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 7(1), March 2010, pp.3-15.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Most developed countries have social policies which consider people with intellectual disability as citizens with equal rights, which suggest they should share similar goals to a healthy and active older person in the general community, and an expectation of the necessary supports to achieve this. This article, comparing the development and implementation of accommodation support programmes for people aging with intellectual disabilities in five modern welfare states (Australia, Canada, Ireland, the UK, and the US), describes the limited development of policies in this area and suggests possible reasons why this is the case. A review of the literature on aging policies for people with intellectual disability was conducted, which suggested that despite consistent identification of similar broad policy issues and overarching goals, little progress has been made in the development of more specific policies or implementation strategies to address issues associated with accommodation support as people age. The author concludes that policy debates which have conceptualised the problem as ageing in place and the shared responsibility of the care and disability sectors may have detracted from either sector leading the development of formulating, implementing, and resourcing a strong policy framework.
Hospital experiences of older people with intellectual disability: responses of group home staff and family members
- Authors:
- WEBBER Ruth, BOWERS Barbara, BIGBY Christine
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 35(3), September 2010, pp.155-164.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
A subset of data from a longitudinal study was used to examine perspectives of group home staff and family members concerning hospital experiences of group home residents with intellectual disabilities, including the strategies they used to support residents while in hospital. Focus was on 17 residents, aged 49 to 81 years at first interview, living in group homes in Victoria, who were tracked prospectively over 3 years. A total of 17 family members, 16 house supervisors, 11 accommodation program managers, and 11 staff in aged care facilities were interviewed. Twelve residents had been hospitalised at least once during the study and all had been hospitalised within the last 5 years. Staff and family reported poor support and treatment of the residents while in hospital. All positive experiences occurred in hospitals that had clear policies, resources and systems in place to address the special needs of people with an intellectual disability. Several strategies were used by staff and family members to improve the hospital experience. These included spending as much time as possible in the hospital; preparing information packages to prepare the resident for the hospital stay; attempting to partner with hospital staff; and taking on an advocacy role. Ageing of the family members and staffing implications for group homes complicated efforts to improve hospital experiences. The authors conclude that the current absence of systems to accommodate the special needs of people with intellectual disability in hospital settings has significant consequences for group homes, family members, hospital staff and residents.
Social work practice and intellectual disability
- Authors:
- BIGBY Christine, FRAWLEY Patsie
- Publisher:
- Palgrave Macmillan
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 238p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Basingstoke
Provides an understanding of the knowledge, values and skills required for effective practice in the field of learning disability and the opportunity for multidisciplinary collaboration for social change. The book focuses on adults with learning disabilities and their families. Topics include: the changing definitions of learning disability; theory and practice of working with adults with learning disabilities and their families; assessment, planning, monitoring and review; social inclusion and participation. Includes numerous case studies and discussion points.