Jones, E., Felce, D., Lowe, K., Bowley, C., Pagler, J., Gallagher, B., & Roper, A,

2001,

Reviewed by Eric Emerson,
Professor of Clinical Psychology,
Institute for Health Research, Lancaster University

Methodology

Simple pre-post evaluation of the impact of training (2 day workshop followed by 1-2 hours of individual training for each staff member in the setting) in 'Active Support' across 38 small supported accommodation settings (average 2.8 residents per setting). Information collected by interview and direct non-participant observation on outcomes for participants.

Critical Appraisal

Absence of any control/ comparison group means that any changes cannot be unambiguously attributed to the intervention. No information provided on reliability of interview/ questionnaire-based information as actually collected within the study (though psychometric properties of measures was specified).

Key Findings

Introduction of training was associated with:

• 35% increase in planned activity for residents (primarily in-house activities);
• 33% increase in the variety and 76% increase in the frequency of community-based activities that afford opportunities for social inclusion;
• 89% increase in staff assistance provided to residents;
• 30% increase in resident engagement in constructive domestic activity and a 17% increase in resident engagement in overall activity.

Prior to training more able residents received significantly more attention from staff, following training less able residents received more attention from staff, although this effect was not statistically significant. More detailed analyses indicated that the beneficial effects of training were restricted to residents with more severe disabilities.

Social Work Practice/ Policy Implications

Low levels of activity are an endemic problem in supported accommodation services for people with learning disabilities, particularly people with severe learning disabilities. These results add to those obtained in previous studies to suggest that training in 'Active Support' may go some way to providing a low cost solution to this problem.

See also :  Felce, D., Bowley, C., Baxter, H., Jones, E., Lowe, C., & Emerson, E. [2000]. The effectiveness of staff support: Evaluating Active Support Training using a conditional probability approach. Research in Developmental Disabilities 21 , 243-255.