EQUALD: Evaluating co-produced resources
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Co-production of research derived actionable resources for the delivery of Individual Service Funds (EQUALD study)
IRAS ID
342557
Contact name
Liz Croot
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Sheffield
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
Adults with learning disabilities who are eligible for state funded social care have a legal right to be assessed for a care and support plan which includes a personal budget (The Care Act, 2014). Personal budgets were introduced to give people greater choice and control over their money and support. However, some adults with learning disabilities cannot, or do not want to, manage their own budget. Individual service funds (ISFs) can help. With an ISF, the local authority contracts with a support provider to manage the personal budget and work with the person to plan and procure their support. ISFs offer a way for people to choose their support without having to buy it themselves or manage a budget. The problem is that very few adults with learning disabilities are offered an ISF. This application forms part of a wider project which aims to increase the number of adults with a learning disability who are offered an ISF.
In the earlier stages of the wider project, we worked with stakeholders to complete a realist review and stakeholder interviews to develop a programme theory of successful ISFs. We then carried out co-production workshops with three Local Authorities to develop two toolkits of resources, one to help local authorities to develop their ISF offer and the other to help people with learning disabilities, and their families and friends, to decide whether to use an ISF. These Local Authorities will use our resources to deliver an ISF pilot. We would like to interview two adults with learning disabilities at each site, who have used the co-produced resources, in order to inform further development and refinement of the resources. At the end of the study these refined resources will be freely available to all Local Authorities across England.REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/LO/0800
Date of REC Opinion
18 Dec 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion