ERIC Number: EJ1061775
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Jun
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1354-4187
EISSN: N/A
A "Suitable Person": An "Insider" Perspective
Coles, Barbara
British Journal of Learning Disabilities, v43 n2 p135-141 Jun 2015
This article draws on a doctoral study carried out across seven counties in England which focused on twelve parents' experiences of carrying out the role of a "suitable person" ("SP") by managing a direct payment for an adult child (living in her/his own home) who has severe learning disabilities, autism and very complex support needs. Evidence came from naturally occurring qualitative data using (auto) ethnography. The research exposed how vital these parents' expertise and skills are to their adult children, but also how they themselves are being used within the care system. This article considers whether research has greater impact if a researcher who has direct experience of the research problem has conducted it. It argues that "insider" research can uncover a unique perspective of some of the issues that directly affect the lives of "SP". In terms of "impact", how seriously such research is taken, especially if the findings run counter to much of the existing literature, as it did in this study, remains to be seen.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Parents, Adults, Severe Mental Retardation, Autism, Needs, Qualitative Research, Ethnography, Parent Role, Parent Attitudes, Parent Participation, Social Science Research, Researchers, Research Methodology
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A