Moving from family care to residential and supported accommodation: national, longitudinal study of people with intellectual disabilities.
Eight years of data show most adults with ID stay with family, and many moves happen without a paper trail.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Roy and colleagues tracked adults with intellectual disability for eight years. They wanted to see who left family care and who stayed.
The team used national records to spot moves into supported or residential homes.
What they found
Most people stayed with their families. Only one in six moved out during the eight years.
When moves did happen, prior respite use and a written need predicted the shift. Still, two-thirds of movers had no note in their file saying they needed to leave.
How this fits with other research
Antaki et al. (2008) saw younger adults with ID entering aged-care homes in Victoria and staying too long. Roy’s national data now show the same risk: people can slide into any residential setting without clear planning.
Clarke et al. (1998) found quality of life rose after adults left hospital care. Roy adds the family side: most never leave, so gains like those may stay hidden if services only look at people who move.
English et al. (1995) showed adaptive gains after group-home placement. Roy does not clash with this; it simply maps who gets that chance. The low move rate hints many who could benefit never reach those homes.
Why it matters
Check your client’s file today. If respite hours are climbing but no move plan is written, flag it. A quiet drift into residential care can start without a formal review. Document clear needs and share the plan with the family so any future move is on purpose, not by default.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Abstract A cohort of nearly 11,000 persons was traced over 8 years to determine those who had moved from family care and those who had remained. The majority (85%) continued to live with families, and, for two thirds (67%), no future move was deemed necessary. The 2 main predictors of moving were as follows: A need had been previously recorded and the family had used out-of-home respite services during the 8 years. However, just one quarter of those identified as needing to move had done so in the 8 years. Conversely, no prior indication of need had been recorded for two thirds of people who had moved in this period. The complexities of assessing need and equitably meeting demands are discussed.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-116.4.305