Making Life Good in the Community
Institutions, or congregate care facilities, like Kew Residential Services, have been closing around the world now for more than 30 years. Research has consistently found that small houses in the community are a more effective way of achieving the highest quality of life for people with a range of intellectual disabilities, including those with severe and profound disabilities.
A research study to examine the factors that are involved in good outcomes for people with a disability when they leave institutional care models has been undertaken by La Trobe University on behalf of the Department of Human Services. It explored how best to support people with intellectual disabilities living in group homes to lead fulfilling lives. The study, called Making Life Good in the Community, had both qualitative and quantitative elements and used ethnography, action research, inteviews and surveys to collect data.
The major part of the study is now complete. The remaining component of the study is the completion of the quantitative study that will collate data 12 months after the move of the last residents, which took place in April 2008.
Reports from the Making Life Good study can be downloaded:
As good as it gets (September 2008) (PDF 1.0 mb)
As good as it gets (September 2008) (Word 1.4 mb)- Implementing a keyworking system (September 2008) (PDF 1.2 mb)
- Implementing a keyworking system (September 2008) (Word 841.0 kb)
- Implementing person-centred active support in a group home for people with profound intellectual disabilities (September 2008) (PDF 925.2 kb)
- Implementing person-centred active support in a group home for people with profound intellectual disabilities (September 2008) (Word 2.4 mb)
- Building inclusive communities: Facilitating community participation in people with severe intellectual disabilities (April 2008) (PDF 1.2 mb)
- Building inclusive communities: Facilitating community participation in people with severe intellectual disabilities (April 2008) (Word 2.3 mb)
- When is a house a home? (February 2008) (PDF 1,114 KB)
- When is a house a home? (February 2008) (Word 188 KB)
- The role of the house supervisor (November 2007) (PDF 1,671 KB)
- The role of the house supervisor (November 2007) (Word 942 KB)
- Making life good in the community: The story so far (March 2007) (PDF 620.4 kb)
- Making life good in the community: The story so far (March 2007) (Word 612.5 kb)
Newsletter
Making Life Good in the Community newsletters of this research project are also available to download:
- Making Life Good in the Community Newsletter number 1 (PDF 4,559 KB)
- Making Life Good in the Community Newsletter number 1 (Word 1,580 KB)
- Making Life Good in the Community Newsletter number 2 (PDF 2,308 KB)
- Making Life Good in the Community Newsletter number 2 (Word 11,492 KB)
- Making Life Good in the Community Newsletter number 3 (PDF 627 KB)
- Making Life Good in the Community Newsletter number 3 (Word 4,765 KB)
Further information
For further information on this project, contact:
Further findings on community living
A leading international expert on care models for people with disabilities, Professor Eric Emerson of Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, visited Australia in 2003 and presented an overview of research in this area to families and others with an interest in the Kew Redevelopment. A summary of Professor Emerson’s research is available to download below.
- See the Institute for Health Research Publications (External link) for related publications.
An independent evaluation of the KRS redevelopment was undertaken in 2004 and is available to download below.