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Self‐directed support policy: challenges and possible solutions
Author(s) -
Harkes Mary A.,
Brown Michael,
Horsburgh Dorothy
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
british journal of learning disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.633
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1468-3156
pISSN - 1354-4187
DOI - 10.1111/bld.12024
Subject(s) - intellectual disability , public relations , service (business) , psychology , inclusion (mineral) , medical education , internet privacy , business , political science , social psychology , medicine , psychiatry , marketing , computer science
Accessible summary Self‐Directed Support is the latest system of social care giving vulnerable people in the UK a budget instead of a service provided by local authorities. There is a lack of evidence to demonstrate how people with intellectual disabilities access information and make choices about S elf‐ D irected S upport. Self‐ D irected S upport is not yet available to all individuals with an intellectual disability. There is a need for further education and training for professionals and support staff to ensure that people who have intellectual disabilities are assisted to make informed choices about care provision.Summary A systematic literature review was conducted between S eptember 2010 and A pril 2011 and published earlier in this journal, paper 1. The findings indicated that few studies of S elf‐ D irected S upport focused specifically on people with intellectual disabilities. The range of individuals' ability and distinction between adults with or without legal capacity have not been addressed. It is clear that S elf‐ D irected S upport is not, as yet, a viable option for all individuals with an intellectual disability. However, some who have accessed it reported an improvement in their quality of life. For S elf‐ D irected S upport to succeed for people with a wide range of intellectual disabilities, the level of awareness of its existence, and the potential barriers in relation to uptake, must be identified and addressed. This paper suggests possible strategies to maximise access to S elf‐ D irected S upport and identifies areas in which further research is required.