Background: People with learning disabilities have the right to choose where they live. However, evidence suggests people's choices are limited due to a shortage of housing. Methods: 200 Lives was a mixed methods research project, which evaluated supported living and residential care for people with learning disabilities in England; 107 people…

Background: Recent Government guidelines have promoted returning people with learning disabilities and/or autism from out-of-area placements to their local communities. These transitions not only impact the individuals but also their families. Methods: This study explores the experiences of family members who have been involved in the repatriation…

Background: This study looked to investigate the sometimes conscious and sometimes intuitive decision-making processes of Intensive Interaction practitioners. More specifically, this study set out to develop a rich description of how practitioners make judgements when developing a dynamic repertoire of Intensive Interaction strategies with people…

Background: Intervention to increase self-determination of people with learning disabilities is a major issue for social care practices. This study examines relational needs of people with learning disabilities regarding self-determination in the context of the relationships they share with social care professionals. Method: We held focus group…

Background: Adults with intellectual disability should be involved in decision-making about their care. However, little is known regarding their experience of engaging in care planning within health services. In a rapidly changing healthcare environment, the relevance and necessity of demonstrating care delivered and care outcomes is essential for…

Background: Person-centred planning, which commonly becomes formalised within services for people with learning disabilities through an Essential Lifestyle Plan (ELP), was intended to help place the choices of individuals at the forefront of service provision. However, beyond UK government policy rhetoric, scholars have raised issues regarding the…

A new risk assessment tool, "Assessment of Interpersonal Risk" (AIR), was piloted and evaluated to measure risk factors and compatibility between individuals living in an assessment and treatment unit in one NHS area. The adults with learning disabilities in this unit had severe and enduring mental health problems and/or behaviour that is severely…

People with learning disabilities have fewer choice opportunities than the general population. Existing research provides some insight, but the choice-making experiences of those who do not always utilise available healthcare remains under-explored. This research explored the choice-making experiences of two groups of individuals with a learning…

There appears to be some degree of hesitation and lack of confidence among professionals in conducting capacity assessments. This document explains a two-phase process developed and implemented by a multi-disciplinary group of professionals during a pilot project. The first phase in the decision making process is to determine to what extent the…

Recent policy initiatives in the United Kingdom within the field of disability have rightly highlighted the importance of hearing the child's voice. However, it is also imperative that professionals work effectively together to enable this to happen. This study presents the perspectives of teachers, speech and language therapists and teaching…

This research project used semi-structured in-depth interviews to ask women with learning disabilities about the experience of being prescribed contraception. It also asked general practitioners about their prescribing practices through a postal survey. A service user group was involved at different stages of the project. Most of the women…