Abstract
Aim: The purpose of this study was to inform and build an understanding of meaningful life indicators for people with learning disabilities from the perspective of staff who directly support them.
Background: In the past decade the concept of quality of life has, increasingly, been adopted in facilitating support for people with learning disabilities (Hastings, 2010) and improving quality of life for this population is a specific goal of service provision (Brown et al., 2013). The organisation involved in this study supports children and adults and offers urban residential, respite, and community support services. A framework has been developed by the organisation which aims to provide tangible data to quantify quality of life outcomes. This study is responding to the organisation's desire to seek a process of extracting and analysing data from their framework.
Methods: A qualitative descriptive methodology is followed throughout the research report. Additionally, a purposive sampling approach was utilised to select participants with a total of two support workers, four team leaders, and five service managers included in this study. Three focus groups were completed, and data was then analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings: Three major themes emerged from the data; teamwork and collaboration, interpersonal relationships, and knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Each theme is described separately including the contributing categories and subthemes (if applicable).
Discussion: The research findings are discussed in relation to the study aim and wider literature. Considerations are also made in regard to implications for further research, implications for practice, as well as the strengths and limitations of the study.