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Commentary on Social inclusion: life after 'day services'
- Author:
- KIDD Jo
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 14(2), April 2009, pp.21-24.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Comments on an article by Alan Leyin and Natalie Kauder which looked at the level of inclusion of people with a learning difficulty, by monitoring community-based activities prior to, and following, the closure of two small day service facilities. The author agrees that people simply 'being in the community' is not enough to ensure they become 'part of the community'. Different types and levels of support appropriate to the individuals need should be provided to ensure inclusion.
Community-based day services for adults with intellectual disabilities in the United Kingdom: a review and discussion
- Author:
- SIMPSON Murray K.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 4(4), December 2007, pp.235-240.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Recent policy statements about services for adults with intellectual disabilities in the UK have pushed for a reoriented day services model. However, there is comparatively little research into new models of day service provision. Drawing on the findings of an evaluation of a "dispersed" or "center-less" service, the author discusses the potential contribution such services might play. These findings showed that services based on accessing mainstream community amenities and facilities, rather than scheduled attendance at special day services centers, are popular with service users, staff, and parents. However, such conclusions can mask longer-term and deeper tensions and problems. One notable feature is a failure to articulate clearly specific objectives for individuals and for the service. This elasticity and multiplicity of aims is what allows different constituent parties to appear to concur in their evaluations when in fact they have altogether different registers of success. These and a number of other questions are raised and need to be addressed before any further expansion of dispersed services is considered, such as their contribution to social inclusion and potential longer-term implications - running out of new activities, boredom, and so forth. More significant is the question of the symbolic role day services centers played as a physical and fiscal commitment to public service provision. There are reasons to suspect that an increased shift toward dispersed services may lead to a declining commitment by local authorities to provide for others than those persons with severe or complex disabilities.
Moving to inclusion
- Authors:
- BATES Peter, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Today, April 2006, pp.16-18.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
People who have mental health issues or learning difficulties tend to spend a lot of time in segregated places when, in general, services should be helping them move more into places used by everyone, and to get involved in activities open to everyone. The National Development Team had developed an 'inclusion traffic lights' system to help staff think about what they are doing now, and how they could support service users towards greater social inclusion. This article describes the model and then shows how it had been used by day services.
Growing confidence
- Author:
- HOGG Hilary
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 10(5), June 2010, pp.30-31.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Border Links is a social enterprise limited company designed to promote social inclusion by enabling adults with learning disabilities to contribute to the community while developing skills as part of a trading enterprise. It was set up in January 2006 with small grants from DEFRA and the Leader Gold Fund. Initially a community club with just two members there are now 36 adults involved at four clubs; three in Northumberland and one in Scotland. The vegetable basket scheme is a key part of the day service programme and delivers fresh produce to around 70 homes near the Northumberland sites. Group members are involved in all aspects of the project from selecting, ordering and weighing to packing and delivering the produce. The benefits and skill development for clients and advantages for the wider community are discussed. Border Links is self-sustaining, clients are referred by care managers, schools, Connexions and other agencies and funding comes from local authorities and direct or personal payments. The organisers believe what makes them special is that they work with clients within a local and small groups context.
A life in the community: an action research project promoting citizenship for people with high support needs
- Authors:
- SWIFT Paul, MATTINGLY Molly
- Publisher:
- Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 26p., DVD
- Place of publication:
- London
This project aims to work with four organisations from the third sector to improve daytime opportunities for up to 40 people with higher support needs and help them to be more included in the life of a community; develop the capacity of organisations in the not-for-profit sector to support this group to make greater use of mainstream services and facilities; and stimulate new ways of support provided to them.
Day services - how to 'make sure that change happens'
- Author:
- COLE Angela
- Journal article citation:
- Community Living, 21(3), 2008, pp.22-24.
- Publisher:
- Hexagon Publishing
Improving what people with learning disabilities do during the day is one of the five priorities in Valuing People Now. This article draws on the SCIE practice guide 'Community based day activities and supports for people with learning disabilities' to think about three main challenges: inclusion for all; personalising support for people currently using day centres; and deciding what should happen to day centre buildings.
Social inclusion and intellectual disability in Ireland: Social inclusion co-ordinators’ perspectives on barriers and opportunities
- Authors:
- KENNY Antonia, POWER Martin
- Journal article citation:
- Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care, 17(4), 2018, Online only
- Publisher:
- Department of Social Work. University of Strathclyde.
Social inclusion is a cornerstone of policy for individuals with disabilities. Yet, studies have shown that in spite of positive developments, meaningful social inclusion remains a challenge. In Ireland, a number of policies have been enacted in recent years to promote social inclusion. In 2011, ‘Time to move from congregated settings – A strategy for community inclusion’ (2011), was introduced and sought to move individuals from congregated settings into the community. This was quickly followed by ‘New Directions’ (2012), which promoted the use of community supports to expand choice and inclusion. Implementation however has confronted a number of challenges. Against this backdrop, this study explored social inclusion co-ordinators’ perspectives of social inclusion, barriers and facilitators. Two semi-structured group interviews were conducted with eleven co-ordinators in two day services. These coordinators have a particular remit to promote social inclusion in the day service they work in. The interviews were analysed thematically and two key themes emerged: a disconnect between the policy goals and lived experience, and barriers to meaningful social inclusion. (Edited publisher abstract)
Is the Irish (Republic of) comprehensive employment strategy fit for purpose in promoting the employment of people with intellectual disabilities in the open labor market? A discussion using evidence from the National Intellectual Disability Database
- Author:
- MAY‐SIMERA Charlotte
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 15(4), 2018, pp.284-294.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
People with intellectual disabilities are largely absent from the labour market. Instead many people with intellectual disabilities attend one or more of the various employment, day, work (occupational) and training services available. This paper considers the impact of adult day service reform along with the new comprehensive employment strategy (CES) might have in improving the participation of people with intellectual disabilities in the open labour market. Day and employment services for people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland are largely organised though the Health Service Executive (HSE), the medical arm of Ireland's service machinery. However, these services have kept Irelands “invisible citizens” segregated, and separate from their communities. Despite identifying this problematic issue, services intended to support people with intellectual disabilities to lead more meaningful and fulfilled lives and be included in their communities have been unsuccessful in achieving this. Although successive governments and have announced to phase out segregated service provision for people with intellectual disabilities so that they can lead integrated lives as part of their communities, trends in the data reveal a growth rather than a decline in specialist, segregated service attendance. The widespread closures of employment services that operated as sheltered workshops, for example, did not lead to an automatic increase in the employment rates as would perhaps be expected. This signals that, despite the promise of better community inclusion through revived policies, as part of the mainstreaming agenda, services still largely operate in separate spheres and people with disabilities continue to lead marginalized lives on the peripheries of society. This research concludes that current disability policies in place to improve the lives of persons with disabilities and increase their participation and inclusion have had limited success. Most people with intellectual disabilities continue to attend adult days services rather than participating in their communities or engaging in meaningful work. (Edited publisher abstract)
Peer advocacy in a personalized landscape: the role of peer support in a context of individualized support and austerity
- Authors:
- POWER Andrew, BARTLETT Ruth, HALL Edward
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 20(2), 2016, pp.183-193.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
Whilst personalisation offers the promise of more choice and control and wider participation in the community, the reality in the United Kingdom has been hampered by local council cuts and a decline in formal services. This has left many people with intellectual disabilities feeling dislocated from collective forms of support (Needham, 2015). Drawing on a co-researched study undertaken with and by persons with intellectual disabilities, the authors examined what role peer advocacy can play in filling this gap in support in a context of reduced day services, austerity and individualized support. The findings reveal that peer advocacy can help people reconnect in the face of declining services, problem-solve issues and informally learn knowledge and skills needed to participate in the community. It is argued argue that peer advocacy offers a vital role in enabling people to take up many of the opportunities afforded by personalisation. (Edited publisher abstract)
How the tea is made; or, the scoping and scaling of ‘everyday life’ in changing services for ‘people with learning disabilities’
- Author:
- GRAHAM Helen
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38(2), June 2010, pp.133-143.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
In the late 20th century, the day services which had been set up for adults with learning disabilities became understood as problematic because of the effects of segregation. The solution became the adjustment of services to support a governmental form of personhood; a model of personhood defined by independence, the ability to make choices and be in control, to exercise rights and to take a place within the community and within society. This article tracks the technical changes to everyday life that underpinned this shift. In particular, the article develops its arguments by exploring two areas; first the changes in tea making in Croydon’s day services since the late 1960s, and secondly, techniques of person-centred planning via widely used policy and guidance documents. Through deploying the analytical lenses of ‘scope’ and ‘scale’, two questions are considered: What is understood as legitimising a person with learning disabilities’ choice? On what scale does choice have to take place to be understood as realising ‘choice’ or ‘control’ as they are imagined in policy documents such as Valuing People?