Experiences of people with mild learning disabilities in Scottish supported living settings

Background & problem

In Scotland, supported living housing schemes are regarded as a viable option for people with learning disabilities who transition from large hospitals to community-based living, where they receive care and support from paid support workers, enabling them to live independently. However, there were cases of failed placements of specific individuals with learning disabilities moving into supported living, resulting in readmissions of those affected into the hospital wards for people with learning disabilities. It turned out that the underlying bigger challenge was the under-researched experiences of support for residents in supported living settings. The main objective of this qualitative study was to investigate the experiences of support for individuals with mild learning disabilities in Scottish supported living settings.

Methodology

Data collection incorporated semi-structured interviews, participant observations, field notes, and reflexive notes. The semi-structured interviews involved 16 participants, including six service users and their support staff: one care support worker, four senior care support workers, and five Assistant Care & Support Workers. Participant observations included 18 individuals: six service users, eight care support workers, and four senior care support workers within supported living environments. All data were analysed using reflective thematic analysis.

Key Findings

The key findings on service users’ experiences with support are organised into four themes: personalised approach, valued social support, positive impact, and challenges. Service users’ findings were confirmed through discussions, which included perspectives from their support managers, focusing on overarching themes such as support culture, organizational readiness, service users’ needs and expectations, and an optimistic outlook. These perspectives offered valuable insights and a deeper understanding of service users’ experiences with support.

Implications:

These findings were insightful. The social and practical implications of conducting research with people with learning disabilities, and the ethical implications involved in respectfully using FE in supported living settings. The implication opened new avenues for future research. It contributed to the study's feasibility by drawing on the existing body of knowledge about experiences with support in supported living settings.

Future Research

This study provides a strong foundation for future research. It suggests a broader scope for future studies involving participants from other support providers to enrich our current understanding of the experiences of support, thereby continuing to improve quality of life in supported living settings.

Conclusion

This study showed that individualised and person-centred approaches are vital for the positive experiences of support for people with learning disabilities in supported living settings. The study demonstrated that with proper preparation, appropriate documentation, and methodology, people with learning disabilities can participate in research as a platform for their voice on their experiences of support, needs, and choices in Scottish supported living settings towards their social inclusion and community alongside mainstream populations.