Who’s Challenging Who?: a co-produced approach for training staff in learning disability services about challenging behaviour

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to outline the development, piloting and evaluation of the Who’s Challenging Who? (WCW) training intervention for social care staff to improve their empathy and attitudes towards people with learning disabilities (LD) and challenging behaviour (CB). Design/methodology/approach A phased approach was taken to the development and testing of the intervention. Initially, the existing literature was reviewed, the theoretical background of the intervention was developed, and then the intervention was designed. A pilot study was undertaken, followed by further development, and a large-scale randomised controlled trial (RCT). Findings WCW had a small positive effect on staff empathy 20 weeks after the intervention, and small to moderate effects for other staff reported outcomes (e.g. positive empowerment attitudes and positive work motivation). Being trained by people with LD and CB encouraged staff to reflect on the impact they have on the people they support. The trainers with LD valued their role, and saw benefits beyond this (e.g. friendships). Research limitations/implications It is possible to carry out high-quality RCT evaluations of social care practice, and research should continue to generate evidence in this way, as in healthcare settings. However, there were difficulties in retaining participants. Practical implications People with LD can be actively involved in the co-production and delivery of social care training. Social implications Employment and a fair wage can increase the confidence and empowerment of people with LD. Originality/value This is the first large-scale RCT of an intervention that aimed to improve empathy/change attitudes in social care staff who work with people with LD and CB.

A model for fostering community capacity to support adults with intellectual disabilities who engage in challenging behaviour: A scoping review

“…There also continued to be a notable lack in assessing the perspectives of people with disabilities in training that directly affects their lives (as initially identified by van Oorsouw et al, 2013a, 2013b). Promisingly, a few training programs incorporated adults with disabilities as trainers (Flynn, Hastings, Gillespie, et al, 2019; Flynn, Hastings, McNamara, et al, 2019; Hastings et al, 2018).…”

Commentary on a “unified approach to behaviours that challenge”: implementing evidence-based practice – a clinician’s perspective

“…Here, expertise acquired via accredited training and experience of supporting a range of people in different settings is combined and valued equally with expertise acquired through personal, lived experience. The development of co-production models (Coalition for Collaborative Care, 2016), which set out the values and behaviours required for co-production to be authentic, have led to initiatives ranging from the specificsuch as co-produced training for staff (Flynn et al, 2019) to reviews of where co-production is taking place within broader frameworks such as Transforming Care (Local Government Association, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and NHS England, 2017).…”

Effect Evaluation and Influencing Factors of E-Learning Training in Colleges

“…In recent years, China is requiring higher education to develop towards the direction of networked and digitized, and the government is vigorously promoting e-learning training programs in colleges and universities, which can effectively promote the development of higher education disciplines, strengthen the construction of curriculum for innovation and entrepreneurship education, and contribute to establishing a multi-layer and three-dimensional education curriculum system [7,8]. College students nowadays generally have good innovation ability, and promoting e-learning in the innovation and entrepreneurship education in colleges can greatly motivate their enthusiasm to start their own businesses [9].…”