title: Learning difficulties: staff support needs in residential services.
abstract: The past 20 years have witnessed a movement away from hospital-based care and accommodation for people with learning difficulties towards dispersed housing in the community. This affects not only the users of such services but also the staff employed to work with them. Because of this, it is important to closely monitor whether the need for staff support and staff development is being met appropriately. This article discusses the results of a survey carried out by Mansfield and Ashfield Community Mental Handicap Team to evaluate such service provision by interviewing the managers of residential services. It was found that the areas of largest perceived shortfall between need and provision were meetings between staff from different residential units and training in the skills of counselling, keyworking and liaising with the relatives of service users. The implications of the survey for service planning and future research are discussed.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blair
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Collins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012112:Residential Facilities; D012944:Social Support