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Views and experiences of people with learning disability in relation to policing arrangements in Northern Ireland
- Author:
- SOCIAL MARKET RESEARCH
- Publisher:
- Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland; Northern Ireland Policing Board
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 251p.
- Place of publication:
- Belfast
The report is the outcome of a major research project co-funded by the Police Ombudsman’s Office and the Policing Board into the issues faced by people with learning disabilities when dealing with the police and policing organisations. Almost 300 people with learning disabilities, along with key workers and organisations in the learning disability sector, and representatives of the police, policing organisations and criminal justice bodies were consulted during the project. The study found that people with learning disabilities had largely positive views and experiences of the police. But it also found that many instances of bullying and harassment of people with learning disabilities were likely to go unreported because the victims did not realise that they had been a victim of crime, or were unwilling to report it. The report makes a total of 24 recommendations to help ensure that the police and policing organisations respond appropriately to the needs of people with learning disabilities, and also to help combat disability hate crime.
Getting the right result
- Author:
- -
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, June 2011, pp.34-35.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
CMG and Pure Innovations is a national non-for-profit employment scheme that helps people with learning disabilities and mental health needs to get into work. This article describes how the scheme worked with and supported one of their clients, who had mild learning disabilities and mental health needs, so he was able to secure a permanent job.
Reflections on a participatory project: the rewards and challenges for the lead researchers
- Authors:
- CONDER Jennifer, MILNER Paul, MIRFIN-VEITCH Brigit
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 36(1), March 2011, pp.39-48.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Participatory research offers potential for people with an intellectual disability to have an active voice in service provision. Using the example of a project to develop a quality of life tool in New Zealand, this paper aims to address 3 issues raised in a 2004 article by Ramcharan, Grant, and Flynn in relation to participation of people with an intellectual disability in research: lack of detail about level of participation, how people have been supported in their participation, and the extent to which participation in the project has changed the lives of the participants. The article includes a brief overview of the project, and presents a discussion drawn from reflections on the research process by the researchers. The researchers worked with people with an intellectual disability who were service users as co-researchers or participants in choosing indicators of quality of life. The article discusses the participation of the 6 co-researchers and 95 participants, the support provided, and whether co-researchers' and participants' lives were changed. The authors note that although the project achieved its goal of people with intellectual disability authoring a quality of life tool, there was a variation in participants' contribution, and the financial and practical support of the contracting organisation was crucial to enabling people to take part.
Real listening – using personal construct assessment with people with intellectual disabilities: two case studies
- Authors:
- HARE Dougal Julian, SEARSON Ruth, KNOWLES Rebecca
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39(3), September 2011, pp.190-197.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Although the situation is improving, many people with intellectual disabilities are still not being listened to by services providing them with care and support. When this happens, they become upset and frustrated and are all too readily regarded as being mentally ill. This article, in an attempt to help people with intellectual disabilities describe and make sense of their experiences and feelings in a non-judgemental manner without the need for these experiences to be interpreted and explained, describes the use of an adapted repertory grid procedure developed from George Kelley’s personal construct psychology. Although such an approach has been identified as being particularly suitable for working with people with intellectual disabilities in a person-centred way, little data is available. To improve on this situation, this article presents an outline of personal construct psychology and its use with people with intellectual disabilities to highlight its use in clinical practice.
Allocating homes for people with intellectual disability: needs, mix and choice
- Author:
- WIESEL Ilan
- Journal article citation:
- Social Policy and Administration, 45(3), June 2011, pp.280-298.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Noting that in social housing, allocation of vacant placements is controlled by policies and guidelines with which decision-makers are required to comply, this article aims to examine the tensions between considerations of needs, mix and choice in allocations policy. It is based on information from a research project about housing choice when allocating housing for people with intellectual disability in the state of Victoria, Australia. The project included semi structured interviews with over 50 people involved in policy formulation, decisions concerning housing allocations, providing housing and support, and advocacy for people with intellectual disability. The article draws on analysis of, and examples from, the interviews to discuss elements in the allocation process, focusing on tensions between needs and choice, between needs and mix, and between choice and mix. The author suggests that recognising the interrelationships between needs, mix and choice is a possible way forward in developing a new understanding of what these concepts mean in the context of allocation policies, to guide future reforms in the social housing sector.
Use of physical restraints with people with intellectual disabilities living in Sweden's group homes
- Authors:
- LUNDSTROM Mats O., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 8(1), March 2011, pp.36-41.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
People with intellectual disabilities often exhibit physical and communicative difficulties as well as challenging behaviours, and physical restraints are one method used to manage challenging behaviours and promote physical safety for them, their fellow residents, and professional carers. In the context of a lack of data about the practice of using physical restraints in Swedish group homes, this research aimed to investigate the prevalence of physical restraint use for people with intellectual disabilities and to identify the characteristics of individuals subjected to these restraints. The study included 556 people with intellectual disabilities, aged 16-90 years, living in 118 group homes, with information gathered through a questionnaire completed by a carer. The article describes the study and its results. 17.8% of the residents studied had been subjected to physical restraint over the previous week, with most of them subjected to more than one type of restraint; the most commonly used type of physical restraint was a belt. The authors conclude that despite the absence of legal authority for physical restraint use in group homes for people with intellectual disabilities, physical restraints are frequently used in Sweden, and that both physical impairments and behavioural symptoms are significantly associated with physical restraint use.
Exploring unforeseen outcomes - examining the potential that personalised technology can have for changing the behaviour patterns of people with learning disabilities
- Author:
- HARRISON Jo
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Assistive Technologies, 5(1), March 2011, pp.45-50.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Hft is a national charity providing local support for people with learning disabilities and their families. It works with people with learning disabilities and family carers across the UK through its Family Carers Support Service, and develops personalised technology, including assistive technologies and telecare. This article, written on behalf of Hft, looks at how personalised technology could have the potential to change the behaviour of people with learning disabilities, enabling them to take more control of their lives and increase their independence. It discusses the impact of personalised technology on behaviour, and presents brief case studies to illustrate the potential of personalised technology to change behaviour and enhance lives. It also describes Hft's Virtual Smart House project, a virtual simulation designed to showcase how personalised technology can be used to support independence, safety and security in the home for people with learning disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
Involve Me
- Author:
- -
- Journal article citation:
- Viewpoint, 124, September 2011, pp.20-21.
- Publisher:
- Mencap/Gateway
Involve Me is a 3-year project on increasing the involvement of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) in decision-making, through supporting people to make personal decisions and influencing decision-makers. It looked at decision-making at 4 levels: personal decisions in everyday life, decisions about the immediate environment (such as in a group home), community decisions and national decisions. The findings of the Mencap and British Institute of Learning Disabilities project have been used to produce recommendations and resources for those involved with services for people with PMLD, including a practical guide to involving people with PMLD. This article describes the project and its key activities (including sharing stories, creative communication, multimedia advocacy and peer advocacy) and key messages. It includes a brief case study.
Making it personal for everyone: from block contracts towards individual service funds
- Authors:
- SCOWN Steve, SANDERSON Helen
- Publisher:
- Dimensions
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 126p.
- Place of publication:
- Stockport
Dimensions is a not-for-profit organisation which supports people with learning disabilities and people with autism, including providing "traditional" care services such as residential care homes. In the context of the personalisation agenda, Dimensions considered how it could help people in traditional services take control of their funding and determine and control their own support. This book is designed to share learning about how the organisation changed its services and practice. It covers the testing of new approaches in an existing home for people with learning disabilities, financial aspects, personalisation and the person-centred approach, providing "just enough support", implementation, and impact on service users. It also reviews what the organisation learnt and top tips for other providers facing similar challenges.
Commentary on "A qualitative exploration of the life experiences of adults diagnosed with mild learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities"
- Author:
- RAGHAVAN Raghu
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 16(5), 2011, pp.14-17.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
In this article, the author provides a commentary on an article by Claudio Pestana reporting on a study about the life experiences of black and minority ethnic adults with mild learning disabilities. The commentary notes the importance of hearing the views and experiences of people with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities and the context of the Valuing People White Paper outlining the government's strategy for improving the lives of people with a learning disability. It discusses inclusion and social networks for people with learning disabilities. The author argues that professionals, service providers and commissioners should have a clear understanding of the population that they are serving, and stresses the need for cultural awareness and cultural knowledge amongst health and social care professionals working with people with learning disabilities and their families.