Supported employment and support networks of people with intellectual disabilities

The present paper reports on the evaluation of a UK project to provide employment support services for people with intellectual disabilities. The study involved 18 participants, and focused on individual and service outcomes. The investigation was concerned with assessing how such services contribute to the development of a supportive network in the workplace. Supported employees’ social networks were mapped in terms of structural properties (e.g. size and membership) as well as supportive behaviours (e.g. companionship and confiding). The evaluation gathered qualitative and quantitative data at two points in time: at the beginning of the placement and a year later. The data set was used to determine whether placements resulted in social integration and whether changes were moderated by individual standards of living. The implications for the planning and development of employment services for people with intellectual disabilities are examined.