Human rights training: impact on attitudes and knowledge

Abstract

Purpose -People with learning disabilities are vulnerable to human rights violations, creating a need for human rights education for both services users and support staff. This research paper aims to examine factors contributing to effective human rights training for staff. It seeks to investigate human rights awareness training (HRAT) within an NHS setting and its effect on human rights knowledge and attitudes towards human rights.Design/methodology/approach -A total of 23 support staff were given HRAT, completing a ''human rights based approach knowledge quiz'' and an ''attitudes to human rights questionnaire'' before and after training.Findings -The results indicated that HRAT had a significant effect on human rights knowledge scores; however, training had no significant effect on attitudes towards human rights and no significant relationship between staff attitude and human rights knowledge was found. Research limitations/implications-Future training would benefit from a greater focus on psychological theories of attitudes and behaviour in the planning, execution and evaluation of the training. This may help to facilitate development of positive attitudes towards human rights. A validation of the measure of attitudinal change is needed. Training models with a greater emphasis on staff's emotional responses, defences and the impact of organisational culture may allow a deeper understanding of the complexities of delivering effective human rights training.Originality/value -This research paper highlights the need for human rights training; one that encompasses attitudinal change as well as basic education. Without effective training to secure staff engagement in organisational change, human rights legislation is unlikely to create meaningful change in the lives of people with learning disabilities.

Stigma research in the field of intellectual disabilities: a scoping review on the perspective of care providers

“…Regarding the focus of these studies, two issues were prominent, namely community inclusion and sexuality. In addition, three studies (as presented within four articles) addressed the attitudes of care providers to processes of decision-making by people with ID and being informed and involved, and finally, one article reported on human-rights knowledge of staff (Redman et al 2012).…”

Evaluating ‘FREDA Challenge’: A Coproduced Human Rights Board Game in Services for People With Intellectual Disabilities

“…A HR quiz was also developed within the current services and used in the Redman et al . () study. Redman did not report alpha values, but mentioned the likelihood of some ceiling effect based on high results pre‐training.…”

“…An ‘Attitudes to Human Rights questionnaire’ was originally developed within current services, due to an identified lack of relevant attitude measures (Redman et al . ). Redman's study evaluating a HR training initiative for healthcare staff working within intellectual disability services reported internal consistency alpha values of 0.84 and 0.77, pre‐ and post‐training, respectively.…”

“…Evidence suggests that training can positively shift staff attitudes to HR and PWID (Rose & Holmes ; Kinderman ; Kinderman & Butler ; Redman et al . ), promote positive practice and client‐centred planning (Tarulli et al . ; Doody ) and may be most effective when PWID are active coproducers (Boyle & Harris ), engaged in more reciprocal and equal partnerships with healthcare professionals to design and deliver services (Roberts et al .…”

“…), training packages for professionals and care staff (Redman et al . ), a didactic DVD and the board game (Roberts et al . ).…”