OUTCOMES OF ORDINARY HOUSING SERVICES IN WALES - OBJECTIVE INDICATORS

Outcome data were collected on fourteen, recently provided staffed hou ses for people with mild, moderate, severe or profound learning disabi lities in order to assess the quality of service provided. Quality ind icators reflected the quality of the housing provision, social and com munity integration, social relationships within the houses, resident e ngagement in activity, developmental progress over time and opportunit ies for autonomy and choice. The data show that the quality of the hou ses investigated was broadly similar to that reported for other housin g services in British research which has accompanied deinstitutionalis ation. Quality levels on many indicators were related to the ability o f residents and the data illustrate the difficulty in providing servic es for people with more severe or profound learning disabilities, whic h are capable of achieving outcomes comparable with those attained in services for more able residents. This research provides further evide nce that the extent of staff support for resident activity is critical to how much residents are able to participate fully in the everyday a ctivities which arise in the conduct of their lives.