Support for living?: The impact of the Supporting People programme on housing and support for adults with learning disabilities

Support for living? provides a critical analysis of the impact the Supporting People programme has had on housing and support for people with learning disabilities. It explores not only outcomes for service users, but also the implications of these for provider organisations and commissioners of social care.

The report demonstrates how local definitions of 'housing related support' have resulted in unequal provision of services across the country and identifies a range of frameworks for delivering housing and support, and demonstrates how these relate to differing outcomes for services users. It evaluates "5-year Supporting People" strategies from across England and questions whether the principles of supported living have in some cases been diluted in the rush to access a new source of funding, as well as providing 'best practice checklists' for various aspects of the delivery of high quality supported housing.

Essential reading for managers and commissioners of learning disability services and members of Supporting People teams, the report will also be of value to anyone interested in supported housing or services for vulnerable adults.

Rachel Fyson is a lecturer in Social Work at the University of Nottingham. She has previously worked for both the Norah Fry Research Centre and the Ann Craft Trust. Her main research interests are learning disability and policy implementation.

Beth Tarleton is a research fellow at the Norah Fry Research Centre, University of Bristol. Beth has carried out research in a variety of areas including housing and support issues, parenting and short breaks, all of which relate to her central interest in learning disability and empowerment.

Linda Ward is Professor of Disability and Social Policy at the Norah Fry Research Centre, University of Bristol. She has researched and published widely in the field of learning disability.