Predicting good Active Support for people with intellectual disabilities in supported accommodation services: Key messages for providers, consumers and regulators

Background: There is strong evidence about the effectiveness of Active Support. Recent research has established predictors of good Active Support as staff training, practice leadership, and service setting size. This paper explores features of organisational leadership and structures predictive of Active Support. Methods: Multilevel modelling with data from surveys, observations and interviews was used to identify predictors of Active Support at the levels of service users (n = 253), services (n = 71) and organisations (n = 14). Results: Good Active Support was predicted by: (1) positive staff perceptions of management, (2) prioritisation of practice and Active Support by senior managers, (3) strong management support for practice leadership, (4) organisation of practice leadership close to everyday service delivery, and (5) concentration of practice leadership with frontline management. Conclusion: These findings extend understanding of predictors of Active Support and provide indicators of service quality, with important implications for service providers, service users and those monitoring the quality of services.