Ann Craft Trust
ACTing Against the Abuse of Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities

Research

Parents with Learning Disabilities: A Volunteer Home-Visiting Project (Funded by the Family Support Unit at the Home Office)

This pilot project ran for three years and was carried out in partnership with Nottingham Home-Start, along with support from Social Services, the Play Centre and Advocacy. A small group of volunteers visited families where the parent(s) had a learning disability to offer on-going support in the care of their children. The volunteers received the usual training and support offered by the Home-Start co-ordinators with additional training from Dr Susan McGaw and ACT. Evaluation of the work was carried out by ACT throughout the project along with dissemination of the results during the third year (2004). The final report is now available.

We have since had further funding from the Parenting Fund for joint work with Mencap, to develop a training pack, and deliver training to volunteers supporting parents with learning disabilities.

"this report is of real practical value...It should be in the duty room of every service for people with learning disabilities"

This project explores the ethical and practical dilemmas of whistleblowing in relation to the abuse of people with learning disabilities in social care settings. Through a survey, interviews and documentary analysis, the study maps current whistleblowing policy and practice, evaluates the impact of recent legislation; explores the experience of professionals who have whistleblown on abuse of adults with learning disabilities by another member of staff; identifies 'best practice', difficult issues and makes recommendations on how whistleblowers and adults with learning disabilities can be best protected. This project ran for 18 months, the final report is now available.

Adolescent Abusers with Learning Disabilities (Funded by the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund)

This research project, which commenced in April 2001, was funded by the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund for three years and was run jointly with the Centre for Social Work at The University of Nottingham. The research looked at the current situation for adolescent abusers to find out what interventions might have been helpful and what would be beneficial in the future regarding the prevention of any further abusive behaviour. Dissemination of the results will be carried out towards the end of the third year. The final report is now available.

This research project had the following aims: to study current practices in recording the abuse of disabled children; to attempt to estimate the incidence of abuse of disabled children; to identify the outcomes for children with disabilities in comparison with those of a small group of children without disabilities; and to make recommendations to increase the competence of authorities to protect disabled children from abuse. A Report was published in April 2000 (see publications).

This project ran over a three year period. The Training Development Officer reviewed the position within different professions concerning their awareness of the sexual abuse of individuals with learning disabilities, and developed in partnership with various agencies and organisations, a number of course modules to address in-service education for professionals in contact with children and adults with learning disabilities (see publications).

The Ann Craft Trust is a registered charity No. 1086592 and is a company limited by guarantee No. 4080805. © 2003 Ann Craft Trust: Protecting People with Learning Disabilities from Abuse. All Rights Reserved.

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