Self-building social care: Interviews and focus groups with people with learning disabilities and key practitioners 2018-2019

Coverdale, Andy (2020). Self-building social care: Interviews and focus groups with people with learning disabilities and key practitioners 2018-2019. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-854243

Self-build Social Care was a two-year research project (Feb 2018 – Feb 2020) funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (Reclaiming social care: Adults with learning disabilities seizing opportunities in the shift from day services to community lives (ES/P011764/1)) and carried out by researchers at the University of Southampton and the University of Dundee. With policy shifts towards personalisation and greater independence, social care provision in the UK is transitioning, with the closure of local authority-led day services and the call for more community-led initiatives. This coincided with local authorities facing significant cuts to public spending, resulting in long-term reductions in social care budgets for people with learning disabilities and a tightening of eligibility criteria. There had been little research into the lived experiences of people with learning disabilities and their allies as they responded to these changes. Therefore, the project sought to develop case studies in four geographical areas: one city and one county-wide rural area in both England and Scotland. Through observations in the field and interviews and focus groups we focused on how individuals and groups were managing to ‘self-build’ their own networks of support and learn the new skills required to navigate the emergent social care landscape. We were therefore also interested in identifying the informal, lifelong and community learning that was happening. Advisory groups comprising people with learning disabilities and practitioners provided local expertise in each case study area and advised throughout the project. Through this research, we sought to inform policy and practice in emergent forms of social care provision by providing examples of ‘self-building’ and identifying the opportunities and challenges involved. From our findings, we developed key themes that were disseminated as ‘building blocks’ in resource packs and on the project website (http://selfbuildingourlives.org/) for two audience groups: people with learning disabilities and their allies, and organisations and local authorities that provide support.

Data description (abstract)

These data were generated as part of a two-year ESRC-funded research project examining how people with learning disabilities and their allies are responding to changes in social care provision in the UK, as traditional day services close and policy shifts towards personalisation and community-based enterprises. Using the concept of 'self-building’ to identify emergent practices and learning, researchers at the University of Southampton and the University of Dundee sought to develop case studies in four geographical areas in the UK: an urban and rural area in the South of England, and an urban and rural area in Scotland. The transcripts comprise interviews with local authority commissioners (n=5) and practitioners from supporting organisations (n=22), and focus groups and follow up individual interviews with people with learning disabilities (n=25).

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