Background: Building Circles of Support is an innovative strategy for developing natural support networks. This study explored some of the ambiguity in the conceptualisations, operational elements, and perceived outcomes of Circles of Support programs. Method: A comparative case study of three Australian Circles of Support programs was conducted.…

Background: Active Support, now widely adopted by disability support organizations, is difficult to implement. The study aim was to identify the factors associated with good Active Support. Methods: Data on service user and staff characteristics, quality of Active Support and practice leadership were collected from a sample of services from 14…

Background: Organizational culture in group homes for people with intellectual disabilities has been identified as influencing staff behaviour and residents' quality of life (QOL). Despite this influence, culture has been under-researched, with no published and validated instrument to measure its dimensions in group homes. The aim was to develop…

Background: Organisational and service level factors are identified as influencing the implementation of Active Support. The aim was to explore differences in organisational leadership and structures to identify potential relationships between these factors and the quality of Active Support in supported accommodation services. Method: Fourteen…

Background: The quality of life (QOL) of people with intellectual disability living in supported accommodation services is variable, influenced by many possible factors. Various frameworks have attempted to identify these factors without assigning value, direction of influence or relative impact on outcomes. Methods: A realist review of the…

Background: Research has shown that there is variability in quality of life (QOL) outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities who live in group homes. The aim was to examine dimensions of group home culture as predictors of QOL outcomes. Method: The Group Home Culture Scale (GHCS) was used to measure staff perceptions of culture in 23 group…

Background: Research indicates the value of active support in achieving good outcomes across a number of quality of life domains for people with intellectual disabilities. However, implementation is not easy, and little research has explored why. We aimed to identify some of the factors that impact on implementation of active support in supported…

Background: Supported living is perceived as more flexible than group homes for people with intellectual disability. This study identified costs and factors associated with quality of life (QOL) in supported living and compared this with group homes. Method: Thirty-one residents in supported living participated in a survey incorporating measures…

Background: Dissatisfaction with the inflexibility of the group home model has led to the growth of supported living that separates housing from support and is thought to have greater potential for better quality of life outcomes. Comparative studies have had mixed findings with some showing few differences, other than greater choice in supported…

Background: Social inclusion is central to disability policies internationally. The high risk of social exclusion for people with intellectual disability is compounded for those with challenging behaviour. Method: A systematic literature review examined how social inclusion of people with intellectual disability and challenging behaviour has been…

Culture recurs as an important but under-investigated variable associated with resident outcomes in supported accommodation for people with intellectual disability. This study aimed to conceptualize the potential dimensions of culture in all group homes and describe the culture in underperforming group homes. A secondary analysis, using an…

This paper provides the conceptual foundations for a study funded by the Australian Research Council and industry partners Yooralla and Jewish Care titled "Understanding 'encounter' as a dimension of social inclusion for people with intellectual disability." Since the early 1980s, disability policy has envisioned the social inclusion of people…

Background: Adults with severe challenging behaviour can achieve good "quality of life" outcomes in small supported accommodation services. Yet, the research indicates that they typically experience poorer outcomes than other adults with intellectual disability. This raises questions about the degree to which research has informed…

Older people with a lifelong disability, such as intellectual disability, face significant barriers to enjoying "active ageing" as they transition into retirement. Active ageing involves enhancement of quality of life through optimising the health, participation, and security of individuals and populations (World Health Organization [WHO], 2002).…

Background: Australia has few policies to support the transition of older people with intellectual disability from employment to retirement. This study aimed to identify the possibilities and barriers to retirement for older employees in supported employment services. Method: Five distinct participant groups discussed retirement in 6 separate…