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Carers of people with learning disabilities, and their experience of the 1995 Carers Act
- Authors:
- ROBINSON Carol, WILLIAMS Val
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 32(2), March 2002, pp.169-183.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This paper seeks to highlight the impact of the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act of 1995 on carers of people with learning disabilities. It draws on research conducted in the south west between 1997 and 1999, which examined the views and experiences of carers who had an assessment of their needs, together with those of the person they care for and the professional conducting the assessment. It concludes that the Carers Act is not widely used, or understood, by this group of carers. Recommendations for improving practice include changes to the current terminology, new triggers for a carer's needs assessment, and a greater input from other agencies, especially health services. Although the current paper focuses on the views and experiences of carers, an exploration of the Carers Act, and its effect on potential conflicts of interest with the person with learning disabilities, is available elsewhere.
Care in the family
- Authors:
- WILLIAMS Val, ROBINSON Carol
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 24.8.00, 2000, pp.26-27.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Looks at the impact of carers' assessment on the families of people with learning difficulties. Asks whether assessments recognised the increasing dependency of older carers themselves.
In their own right: Carers Act and carers of people with learning difficulties
- Authors:
- WILLIAMS Val, ROBINSON Carol
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- Publication year:
- 2000
- Pagination:
- 79p.
- Place of publication:
- Bristol
Report of a research study looking at the experiences of carers of people with learning difficulties. The views of people with learning difficulties are also looked at, focusing on how people felt about being cared for, and becoming carers as their parents grow older. Few carers were aware of their rights under the Carers Recognition and Services Act 1995 and the study looks at why. Also examines the level of satisfaction of those carers who received a needs assessment and follows up what actually happened after the assessment.
'He will finish up caring for me': people with learning disabilities and mutual care
- Authors:
- WILLIAMS Val, ROBINSON Carol
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 29(2), June 2001, pp.56-62.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Reports on a research study of the impact of the UK Carers Act 1995 on families with someone with a learning disability. It involved canvassing the views of people with learning disabilities about their experience of assessments and their relationships within the family. The authors found that many people with learning disabilities expressed empathy for their carer's point of view and that several people (including some who had high support needs themselves) were performing care tasks for their elderly parents. However, no one appeared to recognise the situation as one of mutual care, and parents generally carried on defining themselves as carers since they took responsibility and exercised control. The authors conclude that mutual caring is far more common than is recognised and includes people with severe learning disabilities. A more holistic approach to assessment of needs is required that can take into account the complex web of interdependence within a family. Rather than categorising people into 'carers' and 'cared-for', the authors suggest a model that recognises mutually supportive partnerships within the family.
In their own right: the support needs of family carers of people with learning difficulties
- Author:
- WILLIAMS Val
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Care, 3(3), November 1999, pp.94-95.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
Community care depends heavily on the family carers who provide day to day care for the majority of people with learning difficulties. The Carers Act 1995 was intended to acknowledge their own needs for support from health and social services. However, new research suggests services may still be neglecting their needs. This paper argues that support for carers is an essential element of community care and should be prioritised in joint health and social services planning.