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Care relationships between support staff and adults with a learning disability

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Care relationships between support staff and adults with a learning disability

Georgios has studied Psychology specialising in Health and Social Psychology. Georgios has worked as a support worker in social care and healthcare settings for about a decade, supporting and learning from people with learning disabilities, mental health difficulties, and other groups. Georgios started a full-time PhD in Applied Psychology in February 2021 after being awarded an NIHR School for Social Care Research doctoral scholarship.

In this blog, I discuss my ongoing study which is currently recruiting participants. The study is part of a PhD project exploring care relationships between support staff and adults and older adults with a learning disability (intellectual disability) in long-term social care residential settings in England. In this study, we are interested in hearing support staff’s thoughts on what makes their relationships with the people they support positive, how positive relationships are established and what impact they have on people’s lives, what factors can facilitate or hinder good care relationships, and other related topics.

Georgios has studied Psychology specialising in Health and Social Psychology. Georgios has worked as a support worker in social care and healthcare settings for about a decade, supporting and learning from people with learning disabilities, mental health difficulties, and other groups. Georgios started a full-time PhD in Applied Psychology in February 2021 after being awarded an NIHR School for Social Care Research doctoral scholarship.

Tuesday 6th September 2022

Why is this research needed?

Relationships are at the core of our lives and provide context for everything we do. Professional interpersonal relationships are central to various therapeutic and other care contexts, for example therapeutic relationships between therapists and clients, and such relationships are known to influence outcomes for those we receive and also those who provide care and support.

Nonetheless, little is known about care relationships between support staff and adults with a learning disability in social care residential settings in England. This is quite surprising considering that support staff and residents with a learning disability are two large populations that spend a significant amount of time together with support taking place in the realm of everyday life, a phenomenon that admittedly cannot be easily defined. Additionally, the working conditions of the social care support workforce are rather adverse (e.g., low salaries, lack of recognition) which paints the context of building care relationships with residents. This study aspires to further our understanding of said care relationships and to inform care practice and staff and resident outcomes.

Our study

In this study, we are recruiting paid support staff, for example care or support workers, personal assistants, and conducting interviews with them to hear their thoughts on various aspects of their care relationships with adults with a learning disability. By the term ‘adult’ we refer to individuals aged 18 years and over (including those aged 65 years and over).

Amongst other inclusion criteria, staff must be based in a learning disability long-term social care residential setting in England, for example a care home, supported living, or in domiciliary care. The residential setting may be managed by local authorities or the private or the voluntary sector, but not managed by the NHS. Eligibility for participation in the study is assessed via a short online questionnaire which assesses whether the potential participant can progress to the interview stage. Interviews are audio recorded and can take place online or in-person, lasting around one hour and fifteen minutes. Support staff who attend the interview receive a £10 payment for their time.

Prior to this study, another study took place that involved systematically reviewing the UK literature on the subject, covering a period of 41 years. An ethnographic study using direct observation in learning disability residential services is expected to follow this study building on its findings.

How can participants join the study?

If you are a paid support staff (e.g., care or support worker, personal assistant, etc) working in adult learning disability long-term social care residential settings in England (e.g., care home, supported living, homecare) and interested in taking part in the study or have any questions, please email Georgios at: gm518@kent.ac.uk

Funding disclaimer: This research is funded by the NIHR School for Social Care Research (Doctoral Scholarship).