Building understanding in support relationships

Abstract

This chapter discusses some findings from a study about support relationships for adults with intellectual disabilities using personal budgets in Germany and Australia. The study aimed to explore how these relationships were influenced by the way support was organised through personal budgets. The chapter presents five sub-themes of how the pairs built an understanding of each other in support relationships, including building understanding through a relationship history, spending time together, language, learning from misunderstandings, and awareness of policies and roles. The study found that policies and regulations inherent in support settings affected the amount of time both people could spend together, and language used by both parties shaped their understanding of each other and their roles within the relationship. The findings emphasise the importance of both people having a good understanding of the policies specific to the personal budget in order to question processes and procedures and ensure that the rights of the person with intellectual disabilities are realised.