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Experiences and needs of direct support staff working with people with intellectual disabilities during the COVID‐19 pandemic: a thematic analysis
- Authors:
- EMBREGTS Petri J.C.M., TOURNIER Tess, FRIELINK Noud
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 34(2), 2021, pp.480-490.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: The present study aimed to explore the experiences and needs of direct support staff during the initial stage of the COVID‐19 lockdown in the Netherlands. Method: Overall, eleven direct support staff were recruited from five intellectual disability services to participate in this descriptive qualitative study. They recorded 34 audio messages during the considered period. Thematic analysis was used to analyse these audio recordings. Results: Four themes emerged: (1) Emotional impact, which pertained to various emotions they experienced in their work; (2) Cognitive impact, which referred to challenges and changes they had undergone in their work; (3) Practical impact, which centred on the practical impact of the pandemic on their work; and (4) Professional impact, which concerned their experiences with other professionals. Conclusions: This study provides valuable insights into the experiences and needs of direct support staff during the COVID‐19 pandemic, which, in turn, can help inform practice in preparation for a second wave of COVID‐19 or another future pandemic. (Edited publisher abstract)
An audit of the well-being of staff working in intellectual disability settings in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Authors:
- McMAHON Martin, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 25(4), 2020, pp.237-246.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected millions of people worldwide. Individuals with intellectual disability are at a disproportionate risk of mortality, given the health inequalities they experience. This puts a significant burden of responsibility on staff who support these individuals. Consequently, this study aims to establish a baseline of the well-being of staff working in intellectual disability services in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey was carried out using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, a brief measure of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and a brief measure of anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7). Findings: In total, 285 staff in the Republic of Ireland completed the survey. These staff reported moderate levels of personal and work-related burnout and mild levels of anxiety and depression. Higher mean scores were recorded across scales from staff who worked in independent living settings and from staff who supported individuals with challenging behaviour. Originality/value: This study, an audit, provides initial data on the well-being of staff working with individuals with intellectual disability in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights that employers need to consider staff well-being, given the levels of personal and work-related burnout, and anxiety and depression that were found. This is particularly true for staff who work in independent living settings and with adults with challenging behaviour. Future research should focus on proactive strategies for improving staff well-being in the short term, given the current resurgence of COVID-19 in Ireland. (Edited publisher abstract)
Dementia: supporting people with dementia and their carers: understanding NICE-SCIE guidance
- Author:
- NATIONAL COLLABORATING CENTRE FOR MENTAL HEALTH
- Publishers:
- National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, Social Care Institute for Excellence
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 19p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Produced by NICE and SCIE, this guideline makes recommendations for the identification, treatment and care of people with dementia and the support of carers within primary and secondary healthcare, and social care. The guide is for health and social care staff who work with people with dementia and their carers, and those who work with older people and people with learning disabilities. This includes GPs, nurses, geriatricians, psychiatrists, social workers, care home managers and care staff. It also includes recommendations relevant to commissioners, managers and coordinators of health and social care.
Muslim Social workers and imams' recommendations in marital and child custody cases of persons with intellectual or mental disability
- Authors:
- LEENA Badran, ARIE Rimmerman
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 52(3), 2022, pp.1249-1268.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Arab society in Israel is undergoing modernisation and secularisation. However, its approach to disability and mental illness is still dominated by religious and traditional stereotypes, as well as folk remedies and community practices. The present study examines differences in Muslim social workers and Imams' recommendations in marriage/divorce and child custody cases of persons with intellectual disabilities (IDs) or mental illness. The study has two goals: (1) To examine differences in recommendations between Imams and Muslim social workers and (2) to explore variables related to their differential recommendations as observed in their responses to vignettes. Quantitative study using vignettes resembling existing Muslim religious (Sharia) court cases. Muslim social workers (138) and Imams (forty-eight) completed a background questionnaire, a religiosity questionnaire and a questionnaire that included twenty-five vignettes constructed by the researcher based on court rulings, adapted for the study. Muslim social workers tended to consider the religious recommendation when the family of person with ID or mental illness was portrayed in the vignette as religious. The same applied to Imams, albeit to a greater extent. The findings call for raising awareness amongst social workers and academics regarding the importance of religion and tradition in formulating professional recommendations. (Edited publisher abstract)
Maximising engagement and participation of intellectual disability staff in research: insights from conducting a UK-wide survey
- Authors:
- LAM Claire Kar Kei, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 25(4), 2021, pp.554-566.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
Aim: This article explores ways of maximising engagement of intellectual disability staff as research participants, research advisers and research implementers. Method: The authors describe and reflect on a three-phased strategy in recruiting front-line staff (n = 690) working for intellectual disability service providers (n = 25) to participate in a UK-wide anonymous online survey about death, dying and bereavement. Results: Important elements in engaging participants were: involving stakeholders at all stages of the research process, which includes: building relationships with participating organisations; enlisting organisational management support at all levels; an attractive and well laid-out collection tool; a well-structured recruitment strategy; time and flexibility; and a varied and targeted dissemination strategy. However, the recruitment method had limitations, in particular around representativeness, bias and generalisability. Conclusions: Staff in intellectual disability services can be enthusiastic and invaluable research participants. Active engagement between researchers, participating organisations and stakeholder groups is key to ensuring involvement of intellectual disability staff with research. (Edited publisher abstract)
Commonalities and differences in social work with learning disability and child protection: findings from a UK ‘burnout’ national survey
- Authors:
- McFADDEN Paula, MANTHORPE Gillian, MALLETT John
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 48(5), 2018, pp.1199-1219.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Social work with adults with learning disabilities or intellectual disability may be organised as a discrete or specialist area of practice in the UK. Little is known about contemporary social work practitioners’ views of their work with adults with learning disabilities and whether these differ from those of social workers in practice with different user groups or working in other specialities. This paper reports findings from a national survey of UK social workers undertaken in 2015 that measured burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, across three domains: Emotional Exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation and personal accomplishment. A total of 1,359 social workers responded to the invitation to participate, of whom seventy-seven reported predominantly working with adults with learning disabilities and 358 reported working in child protection social work. Comparisons are drawn between responses from social workers working in these distinct practice areas showing high levels of EE co-existing with high levels of personal accomplishment in both areas of practice. Other important distinctions and similarities are reported. (Edited publisher abstract)
Knowledge and expectations of direct support professionals towards effects of psychotropic drug use in people with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- KUIJPER Gerda de, PUTTEN Anette van der
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 30(Supplement S1), 2017, pp.1-9.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background/Introduction: In this study, we investigated intellectual disability support professionals’ knowledge and expectations towards effects of psychotropic drug use on behaviour and drug use in their clients, because shortcomings may lead to misinterpretations of behavioural symptoms and inappropriate drug use. Methods: Two self-designed questionnaires were used to measure the knowledge and expectations of 194 support professionals in 14 residential facilities regarding psychotropic drug use and effects of antipsychotics on behavioural, cognitive and mental functioning of people with intellectual disability. The psychometric properties of both questionnaires were adequate.Results: A majority of the professionals had unrealistic expectations regarding the positive effects of antipsychotics on cognitive and behavioural functioning, and 94% scored below the cut-off scores regarding knowledge; 60% indicated they needed education and training. Conclusions: To achieve sufficient collaboration of intellectual disability support professionals in reducing inappropriate psychotropic drug use of clients, vocational educational training is needed. (Publisher abstract)
Life story work and social work practice: a case study with ex-prisoners labelled as having an intellectual disability
- Authors:
- ELLEM Kathleen Alicia, WILSON Jill
- Journal article citation:
- Australian Social Work, 63(1), March 2010, pp.67-82.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Social workers need to develop interviewing, assessment and recording practices that give precedent to the worldview of service users, if they are to truly understand and respond effectively to people's lives. One such way of doing this is by adopting a life story approach to working with vulnerable people. Life story work has been found to be particularly useful for people with intellectual disability. The life story approach outlined in this article explores the prison and post-prison experiences of adults in Queensland who had been labelled as having an intellectual disability. Several in-depth and largely unstructured interviews were held with 10 ex-prisoners, enabling them to describe their experiences in the correctional system and beyond and the resources and strategies used to survive such experiences. This article focuses on the methodological considerations of engaging in life story research with ex-prisoners with intellectual disability, and its usefulness in social work practice. It describes the following issues: communicative issues, context of interviews, expressive difficulties, a concrete frame of reference, submissiveness and lack of self esteem, credibility of interview responses, lack of detail in accounts, researcher’s influence, communicative tools and strategies, building relationships, sequence of events, using a support person, and disengaging with participants. It concludes that eliciting the stories of vulnerable people, such as people with intellectual disability, resonates with the profession’s commitment to social justice and to liberating the voices of people who traditionally have been silenced by society.
Written out of history: invisible women in intellectual disability social work
- Authors:
- BIGBY Christine, ATKINSON Dorothy
- Journal article citation:
- Australian Social Work, 63(1), March 2010, pp.4-17.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The area of intellectual disability is an important field of social work practice in both Britain and Australia. Yet this is also a multidisciplinary field in which the role of social workers, particularly women, in contributing to the lives of people with intellectual disability and their families has largely gone unnoticed. Focusing on England and Victoria, Australia in particular, this paper uses oral history interviews with 3 long-standing social workers, and documentary evidence including government reports and newspaper coverage, to explore the similarity in the roles of social workers in intellectual disability. It covers the period between the beginning of social work in this field, which in the case of England was 1929 and in Victoria 1952, until the end of the 1990s. Work with families is identified as being central in both countries, as well as mediating relationship between institutions and services, families, and the community, and service development and advocacy. The paper concludes by asking questions about the disappearance of identified social work positions in this field and how their previous roles are fulfilled.
Staffs' knowledge and perceptions of working with women with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems
- Authors:
- TAGGART L., MCMILLAN R., LAWSON A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 54(1), January 2010, pp.90-100.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
There is evidence suggesting that women are more likely than men to develop mental health problems; likewise there is literature indicating that people with intellectual disabilities are also more prone to developing mental ill health then the non-disabled population. The aim of this study was to explore a range of health and social care staffs' knowledge and perceptions of caring for women with ID who have mental health problems, focusing upon risk and resilient/protective factors and barriers to accessing care. The qualitative methodology used eight focus groups involving a total of 32 frontline hospital, community and residential staff across one region of the UK. Transcripts were subjected to thematic content analysis using Newell & Burnard's framework. Six inter-related risk factors were identified as potential causes for women with ID developing mental illness: having an ID and being female; unmet expectations; dysfunctional family upbringing; unstable relationships/loss of children; domestic violence; and negative life experiences. Hormonal issues were rarely acknowledged. Resilient/protective factors included being proactive, greater community participation, early recognition, and mental health maintenance. The authors discuss their results in light of current developments and policy within mainstream psychiatric gender approaches. They recommend greater recognition of a proactive health approach for both staff and women with an ID.