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The present study examined relationships between assault levels and sickness levels in staff working in a specialist challenging behaviour unit. The staff group experienced an average of 279.7 total assaults and an average of 422.5 hours sickness occurred each month. No significant relationships were found between total assaults and sickness levels, short-or long-term. Implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the available literature. Methodological difficulties are also discussed.

The present study used a questionnaire to examine the following in 50 social care staff: the experience of workplace aggression in staff supporting individuals with a learning disability, the extent to which staff had received training in the prevention and management of aggressive behaviour and the relationship between training and staff confidence in dealing with aggression. The majority of staff were found to have experienced assault in the course of their work. Despite this, less than half had received training in the prevention and management of aggression. Such training seemed to impact differently on males and females, with trained males feeling confident in managing aggression, and untrained males feeling anxious. In contrast, the majority of females reported feelings of anxiety regardless of previous training. Staff reported strategies for dealing with aggression which mainly involved withdrawal of themselves and others rather than physical interventions. However, there was a neglect of longer-term strategies for dealing with aggression. Implications for practice are discussed.

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This paper examines the usefulness of using the philosophy of normalisation and, in particular, O'Brien's (1992) Five Accomplishments as a basis for evaluating client satisfaction with a community-based health service learning disabilities team. It is based on a survey of a group of people with mild learning disabilities, using the Five Accomplishments as a framework for a semi-structured interview. Areas of client satisfaction and dissatisfaction are discussed in the context of the use of a value-based means of obtaining feedback from clients. Limitations of interviewing techniques and specifically those used in this study are reviewed.