Views of families, managers and specialists about out of area placement of people with ID

Aim: To explore the views of families, managers and specialists about ‘out-of-area’ placement of people with learning disabilities.

Method: Information was collected for 30 people through interviews with their families, home managers and care managers. Focus-groups were conducted with community learning disability teams. Interviews and discussion concerned views about suitability of placements and their operation.

Results: The results confirmed that the predicted problems of out-of-area placements occur. Placements, especially those placements which can support people with more complex needs, were difficult to find and secure. The distance involved in some placements caused problems for families, care managers, home managers and community team staff of coordinating and liaising to ensure that appropriate care is provided. Problems of poor quality care were identified by families and particularly by members of community teams. However, the findings were mixed, with care managers, home managers and those family members who agreed to be interviewed generally satisfied.

Conclusions: It is clear that out-of-area placements cause some problems, particularly for community teams, but that they also satisfy some professionals and family members.