Background: The aim of this research was to explore the impact of a particular management style called practice leadership upon the experience of staff working in services for people with intellectual disability and challenging behaviour. Such staff have been shown to experience high stress and lack of job satisfaction. Support by the immediate manager may be an important ameliorating factor. However, style of manager support requires further exploration. Method: A single point-in-time survey of staff in adult residential services within the South East of England collected data on practice leadership, stress, and positive work experiences. Results: Practice leadership was positively associated with lower stress, greater positive work experiences for staff, and more strongly associated with "developmental" than "supportive" leadership. Effect sizes were small to medium. Conclusions: Staff experience of working in challenging environments may be improved by style of front-line leadership. However, further conceptualisation and research of staff experience and practice leadership is required.