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Staff understandings of abuse and poor practice in residential settings for adults with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- FYSON Rachel, PATTERSON Anne
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 33(3), 2020, pp.354-363.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: A common factor in the abuse of people with intellectual disabilities in residential settings has been the failure of care staff and frontline managers to recognise poor practice at an early stage and prevent its development into a culture of abuse. In this context, staff understandings of abuse and poor practice in residential services for people with intellectual disabilities were explored. Method: Semi‐structured interviews (n = 56) were undertaken with care staff and frontline managers working across England. Interviews included the use of vignettes, based on real‐life experiences of people with intellectual disabilities, to prompt discussion. Results: Staff struggled to define either “abuse” or “poor practice”, focussing more on individual acts or omissions than on institutional practices. When faced with vignettes, staff demonstrated a lack of agreement regarding what constitutes either abuse or poor practice. Conclusions: The implications for practice in residential care settings and for safeguarding training are discussed. (Publisher abstract)
Sexual exploitation and vulnerability
- Author:
- -
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 16.6.11, 2011, pp.26-27.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Professionals offer advice on a case involving a young woman with learning disabilities who may be the subject of sexual exploitation by a worker at the care home where she lives.
Managers' and staff experiences of adult protection allegations in mental health and learning disability residential services: a qualitative study
- Authors:
- REES Paul, MANTHORPE Jill
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 40(2), March 2010, pp.513-529.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Adult protection policy slowly developed in England and Wales during the 1990s. In the same decade specialist residential services expanded for people with mental health problems and with learning disabilities. Many referrals to adult protection systems emanate from this sector but few result in conclusive outcomes. This article reports on a small study exploring the impact of adult protection legislation and guidance within a small number of residential adult mental health and learning disability units in England and Wales. The focus of the article is the issues for staff who have been accused of abuse and for the managers of such services during investigations. Data from interviews with 13 residential unit managers and 10 care workers, who were suspended following an allegation but later exonerated, are presented. Perceptions of the development of adult protection practice, policy and legislation were that these have generally led to positive outcomes. However, these data reveal other outcomes including service disruption, stress for residents, staff and managers. Multi-agency collaboration, transparency of practice, training, reflective practice, and effective supervision of frontline staff, appeared to assist managers and care workers in negotiating the positive and negative experiences of the implementation of adult protection systems.
The understanding that care staff bring to abuse
- Author:
- PARLEY Fiona
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Adult Protection, 12(1), February 2010, pp.13-26.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This research study investigated care staff views relating to vulnerability and abuse of adults with learning difficulties. In the qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were used with a sample of 20 care staff working across the statutory and the independent care sector. The findings indicated that there is a lack of clarity regarding what constitutes abuse. Almost all respondents named sexual abuse and physical abuse, fewer named verbal abuse or psychological/emotional abuse and still fewer named financial abuse or neglect. No one spontaneously mentioned human rights infringement. Prompts regarding bullying and harassment elicited very variable responses. In particular there was a feeling that people with learning disabilities will never be free of bullying and harassment. Power, authority and control were all used by respondents to describe the need to have the ability to manage challenging situations. It was evident that unqualified staff in particular had observed behaviour that they considered abusive, yet they did not feel that they could speak out against it. The author concludes that further investigation relating to rights infringement, neglect, bullying and harassment is warranted in order that greater awareness may lead to improved safety for these vulnerable adults.