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The nuts and bolts of health care: evaluating an initiative to build direct support professional capacity to support the health care of individuals with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- SELICK Avra, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 35(2), 2022, pp.623-632.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: Direct support professionals (DSP) are instrumental in supporting the health care of individuals with intellectual disabilities, yet receive little training and support for this role. The researchers implemented a capacity building intervention for DSPs in a community agency in Ontario, Canada. This study evaluated the perceived value and feasibility of the intervention and the value of a structured implementation approach. Method: The intervention included communication tools, a health resource toolkit, and training. A mixed methods evaluation was used to collect feedback from DSPs and people with intellectual disabilities. Results: Participants generally found the intervention valuable and feasible. Although practice change is difficult, extensive engagement and being responsive to feedback were helpful strategies. The primary concern reported by DSPs was resistance from health care providers. Conclusion: An important next step is to engage health care providers to ensure the tools are valuable and feasible for everyone involved in the health encounter. (Edited publisher abstract)
The Nominal Group Technique as an evaluation tool for solution-focused coaching
- Authors:
- ROEDEN John M., MAASKANT Marian A., CURFS Leopold M. G.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25(6), November 2012, pp.588-593.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Solution-focused coaching (SFC) is a competence-based approach aimed at assisting individuals or groups to make desired changes in their personal or work life. The approach has been found to be useful for coaching teams who support people with intellectual disabilities (ID). The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) provides a structured method for collecting and organising the thoughts of a group of people with regard to a particular question. The aim of this study was to examine the perceived strengths of, and recommendations for, SFC for teams coaching people with ID via NGT, as well as the extent to which the NGT results reflect the results of an SFC questionnaire. The participants were 54 staff members at a Dutch service provider for children and adults with ID. The participants were coached in line with the principles of SFC. Eighteen participated in NGT, while 36 completed the SFC questionnaire. The strengths of and recommendations for SFC were obtained via NGT. The strengths of SFC include ‘exploring hidden successes’ and ‘focusing on solutions’. It was recommended that ‘the results be consolidated in follow-up meetings’. The SFC questionnaire participants largely agreed with the NGT statements on the content of the strengths and recommendations, but differed in terms of priorities. The article concludes that NGT is a valuable tool in exploring people's opinions and priorities, but further research is needed to elucidate the perceived priorities of SFC for teams coaching persons with ID.
The impact of staff training on the knowledge of support staff in relation to bereavement and people with an intellectual disability
- Authors:
- WATTERS Laura, MCKENZIE Karen, WRIGHT Rachel
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 40(3), September 2012, pp.194-200.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Despite a growing understanding of bereavement and mourning in the general population, the needs of individuals with a learning disability who are bereaved have often been neglected and misunderstood. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a 1-day training course on the knowledge of care staff about supporting an individual with a learning disability who has experienced bereavement. The training included content on bereavement and grief, responses to bereavement in individuals with learning disability, and how to support an individual with learning disability after bereavement. The study utilised a questionnaire based, mixed design. Forty-eight participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 equal groups. The 2 groups were trained at different times, allowed group 2 to act both as a control group and later to receive training. Within- and between-group comparisons were made. The training was shown to have significantly improved care staff knowledge in all the areas measured. An analysis of staff knowledge at 1 month after training was not possible due to a low response rate.
Development and evaluation of a staff training program on palliative care for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Authors:
- HAHN Joan E., CADOGAN Mary P.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 8(1), March 2011, pp.42-52.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Among the barriers and disparities that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities face at the end of life are limited educational opportunities and a lack of targeted training materials on palliative care for staff who provide their day-to-day care. This article reports on a project undertaken to develop, implement and evaluate a palliative care curriculum and educational programme to meet the particular learning needs of staff providing services and supports for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in long-term care settings. The programme was designed for staff providing palliative care in 5 developmental centres and 2 community facilities in California. The article describes the curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation to determine satisfaction with and effectiveness of the training programme at the end of the training course and at a 2 year follow-up. The authors report that participants' ratings of their levels of preparation and confidence to provide palliative care improved from pre-training to post-training, and that post-training practice changes in palliative care occurred. They conclude that the need for the development of a set of training materials for staff specific to palliative care for people with lifelong disabilities was confirmed in the study.
Collaborative psychosocial case formulation development workshops: a case study with direct care staff
- Author:
- INGHAM Barry
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 5(2), March 2011, pp.9-15.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Psychosocial approaches are recommended as a way of supporting people with intellectual disabilities who display significant challenging behaviour or experience severe mental health difficulties. This paper outlines and examines a workshop approach with direct care staff supporting people with intellectual disabilities who display significant psychosocial difficulties. The workshops use a psychosocial framework in order to facilitate development of a case formulation by care staff and lead to changes in staff perception and management of the difficulties displayed by the individual. This study provides a pilot evaluation of these novel collaborative psychosocial formulation development workshops. A series of workshops were designed and delivered to 7 staff members supporting an individual who had been referred to specialist intellectual disabilities health services. The workshops were completed and a formulation was collaboratively developed and produced. Following the workshops, there were decreases in problematic behaviours displayed by the individual and in the staff team's perception of the severity of these behaviours. The staff team felt that the workshops had had a beneficial impact on their practice. The paper concludes that the workshops are feasible, positively received and associated with changes in the psychosocial difficulties displayed by individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Enhancing staff attitudes, knowledge and skills in supporting the self-determination of adults with intellectual disability in residential settings in Hong Kong: a pretest–posttest comparison group design
- Authors:
- WONG P. K. S., WONG D. F. K.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 52(3), March 2008, pp.230-243.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of staff training in enhancing residential staff's attitudes, knowledge and facilitation skills in assisting residents with ID to exercise self-determination. A pretest–posttest comparison group design was adopted. Thirty-two participants in an experimental group attended a six-session staff training programme. A 34-item self-constructed scale was designed and used for measuring the effectiveness of the staff training. The results showed that the experimental group achieved statistically significant positive changes in all domains, whereas no significant changes were found in the comparison group. The findings provided initial evidence of the effectiveness of staff training that uses an interactional attitude-knowledge-skills model for Chinese rehabilitation personnel. The factors that contributed to its effectiveness were discussed and recommendations for future research were made.
Learning disability and autism training for health and care staff: a consultation
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Department of Health and Social Care
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department of Health and Social Care
- Publication year:
- 2019
- Pagination:
- 39
- Place of publication:
- Leeds
Government consultation on the training and development health and social care staff need to better support people with a learning disability or autistic people, and making reasonable adjustments to support them. The consultation seeks views on the planned content of the training, how the training should be delivered, how to involve people with a learning disability or autistic people in training, and on mandating, monitoring and evaluating training. The consultation runs until 12 April 2019. (Edited publisher abstract)
Staff training in positive behaviour support: impact on attitudes and knowledge
- Authors:
- LOWE Kathy, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 20(1), January 2007, pp.30-40.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Positive behavioural support is increasingly viewed as the preferred service approach for people who challenge, but skills are insufficiently widespread. The need for effective staff training has been highlighted as a key factor in high quality service provision, with investigators recommending a multidimensional approach to increase effectiveness and produce changes in work performance. Attitudes and knowledge of registered (qualified nurses) and non-registered (unqualified nursing assistants) staff in specialist health care services in and area of South Wales were assessed via self-completion questionnaires before and after the delivery of a newly accredited taught course in PBS and at a 1-year follow-up. Significant increases in knowledge were evident immediately after the training for both groups, with further increases evident over time for the non-registered staff who completed the qualification. Initial changes in attributions immediately after training reverted to baseline levels over time. Enduring change occurred in perceived confidence, which significantly increased both for registered and non-registered staff. The training had a positive effect on knowledge and perceived confidence but little enduring effect on attributions or emotional responses. The importance of training conducted in conjunction with allied changes in organizational systems to ensure ongoing management attention is discussed.
Promoting satisfaction and reducing fatigue: understanding the impact of trauma‐informed organizational culture on psychological wellness among Direct Service Providers
- Author:
- KEESLER John M.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 33(5), 2020, pp.939-949.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: Organizations supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are challenged with maintaining a viable workforce of direct support professionals (DSPs). Amid multiple factors, organizational culture based on trauma‐informed care may promote DSP retention through increased satisfaction and decreased fatigue. Method: An online survey was used to gather data from DSPs (n = 380) across seven agencies and two online social media groups. Data were analysed using stepwise regression to identify the relationship between trauma‐informed organizational culture and professional quality of life (i.e., satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress). Results: Trauma‐informed organizational culture was associated with increased DSP psychological wellness. Regression models explained 7.3%–40.5% of the variance in professional quality of life. Conclusions: Although trauma‐informed initiatives have lagged in IDD services, this study provides preliminary evidence to bolster its justification, highlighting it as a possible partial response to the current workforce challenges. (Edited publisher abstract)
Better lives: an evaluation of personalisation in Southwark
- Authors:
- ELLIS Roger, SINES David, HOGARD Elaine
- Publisher:
- Centre for Welfare Reform
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 84
- Place of publication:
- Sheffield
An evaluation of the Personalisation Programme jointly developed by Southwark Adults Services and the learning disability provider Choice Support. The programme involved using Individual Service Funds (ISF) and working with individuals to get the best value for money. This evaluation focuses on outcomes, process and stakeholder perspectives. Data were gathered from an audit of the quality of life of 70 individuals and from questionnaire surveys of the views of support staff, social services staff, and parents, next of kin or friends. This quantitative data was supplemented with five individual case studies. The report summarise the challenges facing the implementation of a personalisation programme for people with learning disabilities, also identifying elements of best practice; looks the way in which Choice Support has implemented their Personalisation Programme; and then reports on the evaluation in detail. The evaluation data includes the results of the Quality of Life Audit; case studies of individuals, details of savings, the results of the surveys of staff, relatives and friends, and social work staff. The results detail the savings achieved; improvements in outcomes and citizenship; and benefits for staff and social workers. The majority of the 70 individuals in the evaluation experienced an improved quality of life with the introduction of ISFs with PCPs, however around 12 individuals did not. A minority of negative views of the Programme were also received from both staff and relatives. Recommendations including rolling out the Choice Support Personalisation Programme to other commissioners and to follow up the unfavourable audits and negative views of staff and relatives. An Action Plan from Choice support developed from the recommendations is included in the Appendices. The evaluation was undertaken by the Social Health Evaluation Unit. (Edited publisher abstract)