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

Abstract

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.

Contextual factors related to the execution of knowledge strategies in intellectual disabilities organizations

“…The CEOs in this study emphasized their own active role in the execution of the strategies and categorized this role as setting preconditions, stimulating, professional, and networking. This role is consistent with the role of top management in knowledge processes described by Nonaka et al (2000), in the implementation of Active Support (Bigby et al, 2020a, 2020b; Qian et al, 2017), the leadership behavior presented by Yukl (2012), and the study by Deveau et al (2019) on senior management decision‐making.…”

“…In order to understand senior management activities, a framework was established, which showed two sources of demand and opportunity: an intraorganizational source focused on understanding and influencing informal staff practices, experiences, and cultures, and an extra‐organizational source focused on compliance with legal and regulatory demands. Furthermore, several studies focusing at the implementation of the intervention Active Support in supported accommodation services (Bigby et al, 2020a; Bigby et al, 2020b; Qian et al, 2017) provide insights in the stimulating role of senior leaders. For example by shared prioritization of practice and Active Support and by strong management support for practice leadership.…”

“Look, all our hard work is paying off”: A qualitative evaluation of a system‐wide, workforce development model to promote positive behavioural support

“…Such practice leadership and work‐based coaching have been identified as important components of both PBS and Active Support (e.g. Bigby, Bould, Iacono, & Beadle‐Brown, 2019; Bosco et al., 2019). The latter, which identifies the strengths and needs of the person and uses targeted support to enable the person to engage in meaningful activities and relationships with others, is argued by some researchers to be both complementary to, and a crucial component of, PBS in terms of supporting proactive approaches (e.g.…”

Exploring the relative importance of factors that influence the job retention of social care staff working in intellectual disability services

“…The latter may involve using approaches such as Positive Behavioural Support and Active Support to help staff to use methods that explicitly aim to improve the quality of life and personal development of people with an intellectual disability (e.g. Bigby et al., 2020; Gore et al., 2013).…”