Premium
Characteristics of people providing family placements to adult persons with intellectual disabilities
Author(s) -
McConkey Roy,
McConaghie Jayne,
Roberts Paul,
King Diana
Publication year - 2005
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/j.1468-3156.2005.00309.x
Subject(s) - complaint , payment , reimbursement , intellectual disability , psychology , family member , nursing , business , medicine , family medicine , psychiatry , political science , health care , finance , law
Summary The success of family placement schemes depends largely on the recruitment of suitable people who are willing to offer placements in their own home yet little research has been undertaken of their characteristics and the reasons for their involvement. Thirty providers of family based placements to adult persons with intellectual disabilities were individually interviewed. All but one were female; two‐thirds were aged 50 plus and just over one‐third were in employment. The majority of providers have been recruited from the care sector and many had experience of people with intellectual disabilities. Most had come into the schemes because of their personal interest in this client group. No one came solely as a result of seeing an advertisement and only one person explicitly mentioned the financial reimbursement. Over half had been involved for 3 years and more. All felt they gained a great deal of satisfaction and enjoyment from their involvement but stressed the amount of commitment needed to become a provider. The placement providers overall were very satisfied with the way the schemes operated. The main complaint appeared to be in regard to the low payments. Proposals are made for the future development of family placement schemes particularly in the recruitment of providers.