BJSW Advance Access originally published online on January 10, 2005
British Journal of Social Work 2005 35(1):139-148; doi:10.1093/bjsw/bch167
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BJSW Vol. 35 No. 1 © The British Association of Social Workers 2005; all rights reserved.
Research Note |
Assessing the Barriers to Achieving Genuine Housing Choice for Adults with a Learning Disability: The Views of Family Carers and Professionals
Researcher with a particular interest in empowerment of people with learning disabilities and their carers.
Reader and Associate Dean, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, The Nottingham Trent University.
with Claire Saul
Project Manager, Learning Disabilities, for a number of NHS Trusts and Social Services Departments.
Correspondence to Dr Alex McGlaughlin, Department of Social Sciences, The Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4BU. E-mail: alex.mcglaughlin{at}ntu.ac.uk
It has been reported that the capability of adults with a learning disability to choose their housing is too often impeded by the views and actions of their family carers and involved professionals (McGlaughlin and Gorfin, with Saul, in press). This study further explores these apparent barriers to providing genuine housing choice for adults with learning disabilities. It discusses findings from a series of focus groups which explored family and professional views about housing and choice. The views expressed indicate that risk is a fundamental concern for both professionals and families when considering more independent housing for this group. Although opportunities for choice were generally supported, many argued for the need to assess the ability to make informed decisions. There were also examples of problematic relationships between professionals and carers, creating a barrier to choice. Carers need involvement, information and support during the development of housing plans if the needs of the primary serviceusers are to be met. The barriers identified have to be removed if service-users are to truly become the focus of decisions and be enabled to make genuine informed choices.
Keywords: Learning disability, housing, barriers to choice
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