Staff experiences working in community‐based services for people with learning disabilities who show behaviour described as challenging: The role of management support

Abstract

Accessible summary We looked at staff working with people with a learning disability and challenging behaviour. We tried to find out if managers' help their staff to work better. We looked at how often staff saw their manager and if their manager tried to help their staff to work better or spent more time doing office work. We found out that when managers helped staff to work better, staff feel better about their work. Even when staff did not see their manager very often, other staff were helping them to do their work better. Organisations need to decide who will help staff to work better, and this will also help staff to feel better about their work. Abstract IntroductionResearch has shown a positive relationship between practice leadership (frontline management focused upon supporting staff to work better) and better staff experiences of working with people with learning disabilities who may show challenging behaviours. However, little is known regarding the impact of frequency and accessibility of frontline managerial support upon staff experiences, or upon the provision of practice leadership. Current policy and practice in England may lead to frontline managers being responsible for more fragmented services, thus influencing the accessibility of managerial support and practice leadership for staff. The current study investigated the impact on staff experiences of frequency of contact with service manager and of practice leadership. MethodsA single point in time survey of 144 staff measured: characteristics of service users, frequency of contact with manager, practice leadership and staff experiences, for example burnout, teamwork and job satisfaction. ResultsPractice leadership was positively associated with more frequent contact with the manager. Better staff experiences were associated with more frequent contact with the manager and practice leadership and negatively with challenging behaviours. ConclusionThe associations between practice leadership, manager contact and better staff experiences suggest further research, and organisational action is needed to provide management support for staff.

Cross-sectional investigation of relationships between the organisational environment and challenging behaviours in support services for residents with intellectual disabilities

“…Also, on the exosystem level, staff turnover of direct staff members and need for extra financial means is associated with challenging behaviours. In addition to sufficient staff and financial resources, Bigby and Beadle-Brown (2018) emphasised the importance of proper front-line management and human resources policies and practices in order to provide guidance to staff to be able to enhance residents' quality of life, which in turn may influence their challenging behaviour ( Josefsson et al., 2018 ; Deveau and McGill, 2019 ).…”

“…Furthermore, staff members who feel that they are permitted to make mistakes in providing support to residents are better able to learn from these mistakes and adjust their actions in subsequent incidents involving challenging behaviour ( Knotter et al., 2013 ; Olivier-Pijpers et al., 2019 ). Exosystem aspects that seem to be associated with challenging behaviour include the management's leadership style, coaching by psychologists, a supportive team environment for care professionals, a positive organisational culture and the translation of personnel policies into daily practices; all of these aspects provide the staff guidance on proper support of residents, resulting in the occurrence of fewer incidents involving challenging behaviour ( Dilworth et al., 2011 ; Allen et al., 2013 ; Deveau and McGill, 2016 , 2019 ; Bigby and Beadle-Brown, 2018 ; McGill et al., 2018 ; Olivier-Pijpers et al., 2018 ; Olivier-Pijpers et al., 2019 ). Macrosystem aspects linked to challenging behaviour include negative media attention to bad practices, which results in a focus on control instead of trust of staff members to support residents, in turn negatively influencing challenging behaviour ( Olivier-Pijpers et al., 2019 ).…”

Senior manager decision‐making and interactions with frontline staff in intellectual disability organisations: A Delphi study

“…However, a particular style of management focused upon developing staff practice called ‘practice leadership’ (and good general management) are important factors for implementing 'active support' (Beadle‐Brown et al, ). Frontline managers also have an important role in ameliorating potential negative experiences for staff when they have to support service users who may show behaviour described as challenging (Deveau & McGill, , ).…”

A multiple case study investigating changes in organizations serving residents with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviours

“…This study has value for researchers and practitioners, as the ecological perspective provides insight into recent studies on implementing and maintaining active support in various services, which have concluded that hands-on training and managerial leadership seem to be crucial organizational aspects (Beadle-Brown, Bigby, & Bould, 2015;Bigby & Beadle-Brown, 2018;Bigby, Bould, Iacono, Kavanagh, & Beadle-Brown, 2019;Deveau & McGill, 2016a, 2016b. As Bould, Beadle-Brown, Bigby, and Iacono (2016) (Deveau and McGill, 2019;Deveau, Gore, & McGill, 2020;Olivier-Pijpers, et al, 2018;Schippers, 2019;Tournier et al, 2020;Walker, 2012). During organizational changes, continuous discussions on aligning staff attitudes with the organizational vision, staff training in positive attitudes and reduced restraint use, and sufficient information about residents' needs to enhance resident-staff bonding are also necessary (Olivier-Pijpers, Cramm, & Nieboer, 2019;Philips & Rose, 2010;Walker, 2012).…”

“…budget cuts, self-organising staff teams) led to changes within staff teams and how they functioned, as indicated in the focus groups and meeting records. (Deveau & McGill, 2019;Deveau, Gore, & McGill, 2020;Olivier-Pijpers, et al, 2018;Olivier-Pijpers et al, 2019;Tournier, Hendriks, Jahoda, Hastings, & Embregts, 2020). changes (Deveau & Leitch, 2020;Ravoux, et al, 2012;Tournier et al, 2020).…”