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‘Burnout’ amongst direct care workers in services for adults with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review of research findings and initial normative data
- Authors:
- SKIRROW Paul, HATTON Chris
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 20(2), 2007, pp.131-144.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Burnout has been highlighted as a significant problem for workers in the intellectual disability field, and a growing number of studies have investigated levels of burnout and its correlates among direct care workers who are not professionally qualified. This meta-analytic review of 15 studies from a range of countries finds, contrary to conventional wisdom, that levels of burnout in this population are generally lower than those of normative samples, and that burnout rates have been declining over the past 20 years. However, burnout remains a problem for a significant minority of direct care workers, particularly those most valued as human service providers, and appears to be related to issues of service delivery and worker support rather than to the intrinsic stresses of the job.
Support staff working in intellectual disability services: the importance of relationships and positive experiences
- Author:
- HASTINGS Richard P.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 35(3), September 2010, pp.207-210.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The author discusses the lack of research on the role of paid support staff working in intellectual disability services, focusing in particular on the lack of attention to theory and to building a theoretical/conceptual understanding of the role they fulfil. A brief overview is given of research in this field to date. The author suggests that there are two priorities for future research on support staff. These are to understand the relationships formed between support staff and individuals with intellectual disability and understanding the positive contributions that staff perceive that they benefit from directly as a result of their work. He indicates that there are some synergies between research agendas relating to support staff and family carers. It is suggested that finding out why support staff stay in their roles when aspects of their work are stressful, poorly paid, and often poorly supported, might lead down very different roots for practice than the more negatively focused questions such as why staff become stressed at work and why they leave their roles.
It doesn't add up: the financial crisis crippling the social care sector
- Author:
- CEBR
- Publisher:
- Hft
- Publication year:
- 2016
- Pagination:
- 25
- Place of publication:
- Bristol
The report examines current financial pressures facing the adult care sector, with a specific focus the learning disabilities sector. The report examines the financial surplus margins of the care and learning disability sectors, estimated at 6 per cent of turnover/funding in 2015 and considers the potential shortfall that could arise over the coming years as costs increase. It highlights rising rents for property, the introduction of the National Living Wage, and having to pay sleeping shift workers the minimum wage as three pressures facing the sector. If costs rising above funding levels, organisations in the learning disability care sector face the prospect of having to decrease service provision and shed jobs. It shows that the high proportion of low-paid workers and older workforce makes the care sector particularly vulnerable to increases in wage bills through the National Living Wage. Care providers may also face an additional source of funding pressure from changes in the law which may mean that many will have to pay minimum/living wage to employees while asleep at work. In a survey of 36 care organisations, 96 per cent cited rising wage bills as one of the main cost pressure they were facing, with 32 per cent citing rising utility bills. Based on projections of wage and input costs, it concludes that the sector risks facing a financial deficit over the next four years. It argues that the sector will need an increase in funding and turnover of between 4 per cent and 6 per cent per annum to break even. (Edited publisher abstract)
Work stress and depression among direct support professionals: the role of work support and locus of control
- Authors:
- GRAY-STANLEY J. A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 54(8), August 2010, pp.749-761.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
A mismatch between the pool of care workers and client demands, inadequate training, and work stress can all diminish the capacity of direct support professionals (DSPs) and contribute to mental health challenges. External (work social support) and internal resources (an internal locus of control) have been shown to help DSPs cope more effectively. The authors examined how work stress was associated with depression, with a particular focus on the role of resources. Direct support professionals (n = 323) who serve adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities from five community-based organisations in the MidWest completed a cross-sectional, self-administered survey. Analyses demonstrated that work stress was positively associated with depression, while resources were negatively associated with depression. In particular, work support moderated the effects of client disability stress, supervisory support lessened the effects of role conflict, and locus of control moderated the effects of workload. The authors conclude that their research underscores the need for strong work social support systems and interventions to help staff manage work stressors.
Caregiver perceptions of the understanding of death and need for bereavement support in adults with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- MacHALE Rosemary, McEVOY John, TIERNEY Edel
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 22(6), November 2009, pp.574-581.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Care staff are an important source of information and support for people with intellectual disabilities following bereavement. This study explored staff perceptions of service users' conceptualisations of death, reactions to bereavement, required levels of support and staff confidence in providing post-bereavement support. Forty-two staff rated individuals with intellectual disabilities with whom they worked on a regular basis. In general, staff believed that service users had a good concept of death, though staff tended to overestimate levels of understanding and possibly underestimate the potential for dysfunctional behaviour post-bereavement. Although staff expressed confidence in their ability to recognise grief symptoms, they were less confident in their ability to provide post-bereavement support. The implications for staff training and post-bereavement support are considered.
The logic of relations and the logic of management
- Author:
- BUNTINZ W.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 52(7), July 2008, pp.588-597.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Increasing emphasis on financial and administrative control processes is affecting service culture in support organisations for persons with intellectual disability. This phenomenon is currently obvious in Dutch service organisations that find themselves in transition towards more community care and at the same time under pressure from new administrative and funding managerial bureaucracy. As a result, the logic of management is becoming more dominant in direct support settings and risk to overshadow the logic of relationships between staff and clients. The article presents a reflection on this phenomenon, starting from a description of service team characteristics as found in the literature. Next, findings about direct support staff (DSS) continuity are summarised from four Dutch studies. Following up these findings, the concept of 'microsystems' is explored as a possible answer to the organisational challenges demonstrated in the studies. Team characteristics, especially team size and membership continuity for DSS, appear relevant factors for assuring supportive relationships and service quality in direct support teams. The structure of the primary support team shows to be of special interest. The organisational concept of 'microsystems' is explored with respect to transcending the present conflict between bureaucratic managerial pressure and the need for supportive relationships. Service organisations need to create structural conditions for the efficacy of direct support teams in terms of client relationships and relevant client outcomes. At the same time, the need for administrative and control processes can not be denied. The concept of 'microsystems', application of a Quality of Life framework and the use of new instruments, such as the Supports Intensity Scale, can contribute to an organisational solution for the present conflicting logic of relations and management.
Exploring the relative importance of factors that influence the job retention of social care staff working in intellectual disability services
- Authors:
- MURRAY George C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(1), 2022, pp.13-18.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: High staff turnover presents a challenge to the provision of good quality community-based support to people with an intellectual disability. While recent research has identified factors that are thought to be important for staff retention, their relative importance to social care staff is unknown. The aim of this study was to address this gap. Methods: 205 social care staff who worked in intellectual disability services completed an online questionnaire that asked them to: rank factors that had been previously identified as influencing staff retention in order of importance; identify the extent to which their most important factor was met by their organisation (fulfilment score); and rate their recent job-seeking intentions. Findings: The most important factor overall was the relationship of the staff member with the person they supported. This was also identified as the most important factor by the most participants, followed by pay. All of the factors, with the exception of "benefits" (such as pensions), were rated by at least one person as the most important factor. A significant negative relationship was found between fulfilment score and job-seeking score; that is, the lower the former, the more the person agreed that they had been seeking a new job. Conclusion: The results suggest that interventions to improve staff retention should take account of differences in staff views about which work-related factors are most important to them; use multi-component approaches where possible; prioritise staff pay; and help ensure that staff relationships with those they support are positive and fulfilling. (Edited publisher abstract)
When the job has lost its appeal: intentions to quit among direct care workers
- Authors:
- GRAY Jennifer A., MURAMATSU Naoko
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 38(2), 2013, pp.124-133.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Previous research indicates that work stress contributes to intentions to quit among direct care workers (DCWs) who provide services to people with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD). Though resources can help DCWs cope and remain in a job, little is known about how various dimensions of work stress and resources (social and personal resources) are associated with intentions to quit. A total of 323 DCWs from 5 community-based IDD organisations completed a self-administered survey. A multiple regression analyses was conducted to examine main and interaction effects of work stress and resources (work social support and internal locus of control) on intentions to quit. Work overload was a significant stressor, and work social support (i.e., supervisory support) was associated with low intentions to quit. The association between locus of control and intention to quit depended on the levels of a stressor: DCWs’ lack of participation in decision-making. (Edited publisher abstract)
The psychological impact of violence on staff working with adults with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- HOWARD Ruth, ROSE John, LEVENSON Victor
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 22(6), November 2009, pp.538-548.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Staff in intellectual disability services can experience high levels of violence, which may lead to burnout. Staff burnout may result in poorer quality services. Previous research has suggested that factors such as fear of violence, self-efficacy and staff support moderate the impact of violence on burnout. This study explored the relationship between levels of violence, with fear of violence, self-efficacy, staff support and burnout. A survey was completed by 44 care staff in a medium-secure setting with a high incidence of violence, and 38 care staff in community settings with a low incidence of violence. Medium-secure staff reported significantly lower fear of violence and higher self-efficacy compared with community staff. Increased burnout significantly correlated with increased perceived exposure to physical violence and reduced staff support. Self-efficacy demonstrated a significant moderator relationship with levels of violence and burnout. Higher threats of violence significantly correlated with lower fear of violence. Services which are organised to manage violence may be better placed to support staff experiencing violence. Fear of violence may decrease with exposure to violence, perhaps due to increased self-efficacy. Training and support for staff may increase self-efficacy, thus reducing burnout. The authors call for longitudinal research to increase understanding of the relationship between violence and burnout.
Working systemically in a learning disability service: what do colleagues and carers think?
- Authors:
- SMYLY Selma Rikberg, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 13(2), August 2008, pp.15-24.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Telephone interviews were conducted with 64 participants who attended an initial systemic consultation meeting within a community-based psychology service for people with a learning disability. Most participants found the sessions helpful and liked the reflecting conversations, which they said broadened their views on the presenting problems and offered a positive approach to the meeting, as well as enabling many views as possible to be heard. However, depending on whether they were carers, colleagues or client and family members, participants' views varied on how prepared and comfortable they felt about the format of the meetings. The authors felt that the results led support to the overall helpfulness of using an initial systemic consultation meeting when working with this client group.