Self determination is a key thrust of current learning disability policy and indeed sits at the heart of the personalisation agenda in adult social care. This study worked with 17 people with learning disabilities, using interviews to help gather information to help improve our understanding of what impact self determination was having on their lives. [read the full story…]
The authors of this study look at the way the criminal justice system responds to people with learning disabilities by focusing on the first response to people suspected of a minor offence. They argue that at this early stage, the decisions of all the key players have a significant impact on the journey of the [read the full story…]
Researchers at King’s College London have published an interesting paper in the American Journal of Psychiatry, which uses data from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study; a cohort study of children in England and Wales born in 1994 and 1995. The research question they posed was whether trauma during childhood such as maltreatment, bullying or [read the full story…]
The NHS Confederation Mental Health Network have published another excellent briefing paper aimed at commissioners and providers. This time they are tackling how best to plan and deliver early intervention in psychosis services. Here’s the summary: In the current challenging financial climate, mental health organisations are looking at how they can do things differently to [read the full story…]
This review of the literature searched Medline and PsychInfo to find clinical trials and case reports which were published between 1975 and 2009, focusing on pharmacological interventions for sleep disturbance in children with developmental disabilities. The authors found 58 articles that met the inclusion criteria, including 25 controlled trials in typical children and children with [read the full story…]
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation are about to embark upon a major plan of work on ethnicity and poverty. This review of the evidence summarises the current picture by focusing on: the three main areas affecting experiences of poverty –education, work and unpaid caring; how social networks and place shape experiences and opportunities; inequality within ethnic [read the full story…]
This article reflects on the protection of those deemed vulnerable reporting a research study in which the views of staff relating to vulnerability and abuse of adults with learning disabilities were explored. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore perspectives of staff in order to construct a detailed analysis of interpretations of the terms ‘vulnerability’ and [read the full story…]
Are your services ‘young people friendly’? Do you involve young people in service improvement? Do you give young people the opportunity to share in decisions about their care and the services available to them? Originally published in 2007, but now updated for 2011: ‘You’re Welcome’: Quality criteria for young people friendly health services (PDF) aims to [read the full story…]
This article reports the findings of an audit carried out in Surrey to look at pain recognition and management with people with learning disabilities. The authors looked at what people with learning disabilities understood and experienced when they had pain, compared to what was reported as good practice in the literature. The authors found that [read the full story…]
This briefing looks at recent research literature (since 2000) on the move from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to adults’ services for young people with psychological, emotional or behavioural problems, referred to as ‘mental health service transitions’. Young people may move to adult mental health services (AMHS) or need alternative support in young [read the full story…]
