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Contextual Factors Associated with Implementing Active Support in Community Group Homes in the United States: A Qualitative Investigation
Author(s) -
Qian Xueqin,
Tichá Renáta,
Stancliffe Roger
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of policy and practice in intellectual disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.592
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1741-1130
pISSN - 1741-1122
DOI - 10.1111/jppi.12204
Subject(s) - focus group , qualitative research , context (archaeology) , intervention (counseling) , psychology , group home , intellectual disability , public relations , medical education , nursing , medicine , business , political science , sociology , marketing , paleontology , social science , psychiatry , biology
Although numerous studies in the U.K. and Australia have shown that Active Support (AS) is an effective intervention in increasing staff assistance and engagement for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who live in small community residential settings, studies in Taiwan and the U.S. did not replicate these results. The mixed findings may be due to the unique challenges faced by small community group homes serving people with disabilities from different countries. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the views of participants in a AS implementation study about contextual factors that affected their efforts at implementing AS in a U.S. context. Interviews were conducted with Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and AS trainers. A focus group was conducted with directors from organizations that implemented AS in the U.S. This study revealed several reported challenges to AS implementation, including the lack of leadership support, lack of buy‐in, and high staff turnover rate. Despite these difficulties, study participants identified positive impacts of AS on both DSPs and people with disabilities. Implications of these findings are discussed.