Contributions from: Eric Emerson and Janet Robertson, Robina Shah, Yasmeen Akram
Abstract
Estimating Future Needs for Services Among Minority Ethnic Groups in
Birmingham
Eric Emerson & Janet Robertson - Hester Adrian Research
Centre, University of Manchester
Gary McBrien & Julie Bailey -
Birmingham City Council
This two phase project aims to estimate future needs for services among minority ethnic groups in the City of Birmingham. The first phase involves a survey of all children of statutory school age in Birmingham who have a learning disability and are from a minority ethnic group. For each child, information will be collected on: basic characteristics; ability; physical and sensory impairments; special educational needs; medical needs; behaviour problems; and service receipt. The second phase involves interviewing 25 carers and 20 service users from South Asian communities in each of the following three groups: children and families who are participating in the age 14 Transition Planning process; adults with learning disabilities and their families who are using services for people with learning disabilities; and adults with learning disabilities and their families who are not using services for people with learning disabilities. The information collected will be used to estimate need for services for adults with learning disabilities from ethnic minority groups over the next decade. Interview data will provide feedback from families and users with regard to the appropriateness, reliability, quality and sufficiency of current services and their preferences for future approaches to service provision.
Sharing The News: an integrated approach to news giving
Robina Shah - Manchester Council for Community Relations and Hester
Adrian Research Centre, Manchester University
Few responsibilities demand more of the doctor than that of disclosing a diagnosis of a child's impairment to parents. Done in the right manner it can facilitate the parent's adjustment to the situation by relieving uncertainty, in itself therapeutic, and by clarification of what must be faced. There is a wealth of research which addresses disclosure practice. However, there is little research which addresses ethnicity. For example, the experience of South Asian parents whose first language is not English is usually a negative one. Speaking a common language is important. However, sometimes when professionals and parents share the same language base, misinformation and cultural misunderstanding may still occur. Sharing the News with South Asian Parents is a good practice guide and training pack published by the Mental Health Foundation, which demonstrates an integrated approach to effective communication techniques in news giving and subsequent support. This paper will describe the similarities between the experiences of South Asian parents and their white peers. Using evidence-based research, it will identify the common core principles of good practice, which integrates ethnicity in an all-inclusive approach to sharing the news.
The experiences of South Asian carers of a child with severe learning
difficulties
Yasmeen Akram, Chris Hatton, Robina Shah, Janet Robertson
& Eric Emerson Hester Adrian Research Centre, University of Manchester
This paper reports the findings of an in depth qualitative study exploring the experiences of 26 South Asian carers of children with severe learning difficulties aged 0 to 19 years. The families were identified through special schools in Manchester, Oldham and Sheffield. In general carers reported a high need for services, due to a lack of informal support and the considerable support needs of children. However services were failing to meet the support needs of carers by not meeting their language and communication needs, resulting in low service uptake and a lack of awareness of specialist services. As a consequence, carers stressed the importance of the school in meeting their children's special needs and providing information on the supports available. Carers described the importance of emotional and informational support from a key worker in the early years. The carers also stressed the need for more practical support through adapted facilities and child care drop in centres as their child became older. There was some evidence that lack of service support resulted in negative consequences for the disabled child and the wider family. The implications of these findings for services will be discussed.
South Asian carers of a child with severe learning difficulties:
support and outcomes
Chris Hatton, Yasmeen Akram, Janet Robertson,
Robina Shah & Eric Emerson Hester Adrian Research Centre, University of
Manchester
This paper reports the findings of a quantitative survey conducted with 150 South Asian carers of a child with severe learning difficulties. The survey covered a number of issues identified as important by South Asian carers. In particular, the survey focused on the support needs of the child and the family, formal and informal supports received by carers, and outcomes for both children and carers. The circumstances of families, the support they received, and the outcomes experienced by children and carers will be described. Links between family circumstances, support and outcomes will also be investigated, to determine the patterns of formal and informal support associated with positive outcomes for children and carers. These findings will be linked with findings from the previous paper, to outline recommendations for policy and practice.
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