Working to improve the cultural competency of supported living and residential care for adults with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN18659369 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN18659369 |
| IRAS number | 349611 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | NIHR206547 |
- Submission date
- 10/06/2025
- Registration date
- 12/06/2025
- Last edited
- 11/06/2025
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
There is limited research on how well social care services support people with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities. However, existing research indicates that individuals from these communities often have negative experiences with social care. Support staff may lack understanding of their cultural backgrounds or fail to provide support in ways that align with their preferences. For instance, staff may not assist individuals in attending their mosque or cultural centre. This issue is referred to as a lack of ‘cultural competency’. People with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities have expressed the importance of identifying ways to improve their social care.
This research will examine the quality of life of 40 individuals with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities. This includes individuals from South Asian, Black African, African Caribbean communities, and those with dual heritage. Participants will reside in residential care or supported living services provided by six different service providers. The research team will use Quality Checks to engage with individuals with learning disabilities, asking them what matters to them and how support can be improved. Additionally, the team will collaborate with three local councils to explore ways to enhance support. The research will be conducted in partnership with individuals with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities. Findings will be used to develop training aimed at improving cultural competency in social care services. Individuals with learning disabilities will lead the training and evaluate its effectiveness. Accessible resources, including Easy Read materials, will be produced.
Who can participate?
Different individuals can participate in various parts of the research.
Quality Checks:
Eligible participants include individuals with learning disabilities who are over 18 years old and from an ethnic minority community. They must live in residential care, supported living, or use respite care in England. Some participants may have profound or multiple disabilities.
Workshops for people with learning disabilities:
Participants must have learning disabilities, be over 18 years old, live in England, and come from an ethnic minority community.
Workshops with people who commission social care services:
Participants must hold a role in commissioning learning disability services.
Workshops with support staff:
Participants must work in residential care or supported living in England and support individuals with learning disabilities.
Interviews:
Participants must work in leadership roles related to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion within social care.
What does the study involve?
This is a qualitative study, meaning it will collect data on individuals’ experiences in their own words. The study consists of six components:
1. A rapid review of research on social care for individuals with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities.
2. Quality Checks with individuals from ethnic minority communities living in residential care or supported living.
3. Workshops with individuals with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities.
4. Workshops with individuals who commission social care services.
5. Workshops with support staff working with individuals with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities.
6. Online interviews with social care professionals leading on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion.
A research team from Changing Our Lives will collect the data, which will be analysed by researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University and Changing Our Lives.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Benefits:
The training and resources developed through this study are intended to improve care for individuals with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities.
Quality Checkers with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities will be part of the research team and will gain research skills. They will be compensated for their work.
Participants with learning disabilities who take part in workshops will also be compensated.
Risks and how they will be reduced:
Time:
Participants will need to dedicate some of their time. Meetings will be scheduled at convenient times, and interviews will be conducted online. Participants will be informed about the duration in advance.
Difficult conversations:
Some topics, such as racism, may be upsetting. Changing Our Lives has experience in facilitating such discussions. Participants will be allowed to take breaks and will be informed about their right to withdraw at any time.
Feeling pressure to take part:
Individuals with learning disabilities may not always have control over their social interactions. Consent procedures will ensure genuine agreement to participate.
Safeguarding:
If participants disclose harm, safeguarding procedures will be in place to ensure their safety. Participants will be informed about situations where confidentiality cannot be maintained.
Consent:
Some participants may be unable to provide informed consent. In such cases, care providers will help identify someone who can consent on their behalf, in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act. Participation will only proceed if the individual also assents, indicating comfort with the researcher’s presence.
Where is the study run from?
The Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
November 2024 to August 2027
Who is funding the study?
The National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR), UK
Who is the main contact?
Professor Chris Hatton – c.hatton@mmu.ac.uk
Contact information
Public, Scientific, Principal Investigator
Faculty of Health and Education, Brooks Building
Manchester Metropolitan University
Birley Fields Campus, 53 Bonsall Street
Manchester
M15 6GX
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0001-8781-8486 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)7970894760 |
| c.hatton@mmu.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Cross-sectional qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Observational |
| Secondary study design | Cross sectional study |
| Study setting(s) | Built environment/local authority, Care home, Charity/Voluntary sector, Home |
| Study type | Other |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use contact details to request participant information sheets |
| Scientific title | Minority Interest: Working to improve the cultural competency of supported living and residential care for adults with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities |
| Study acronym | Minority Interest |
| Study objectives | There is very little research about how good supported living and residential care services are at supporting people with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities. However, some communities can have poor experiences of care due, in part, to a lack of cultural competency and staff not knowing how best to support people from minority ethnic communities. Therefore, the overall aim of the project is to produce evidence based resources to improve the cultural competency of supported living and residential care services supporting people with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities. |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 14/05/2025, Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds West Research Ethics Committee (NHSBT Newcastle Blood Donor Centre, Holland Drive, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4NQ, United Kingdom; +44 (0)207 972 2504; leedswest.rec@hra.nhs.uk), ref: 25/YH/0074 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | The cultural competency of staff supporting adults with learning disabilities |
| Intervention | Quality of life reviews with 40 adults with learning disabilities, workshops with adults with learning disabilities, local authority commissioners and support provider staff, interviews with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion leads in support provider organisations. Findings will then be used to co-produce and deliver action learning for support staff on cultural competency. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure | Quality of life is measured by Quality of Lives Reviews one year pre-training intervention, and 2 months post-training intervention for a subsample |
| Secondary outcome measures | Social care support staff knowledge and confidence concerning cultural competence is measure using Likert scales pre-training and 2 months post-training |
| Overall study start date | 01/11/2024 |
| Completion date | 31/08/2027 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Carer, Employee, Service user |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Upper age limit | 99 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | Quality checks: 35-40 quality checks will take place with 35-40 participants with learning disabilities. Workshops · 6 workshops will take place with people with learning disabilities with 3-5 participants per workshop · 6 workshops will take place with staff members from support provider organisations with 7-10 participants per workshop · 3 workshops will take place with relevant local authority commissioning staff with 6-10 participants per workshops. Interviews: · 6 interviews will take place with support provider EDI leads or people in functionally equivalent roles |
| Key inclusion criteria | Please note that, as the focus is on services for adults with learning disabilities, all participants will be aged 18 and over. Quality Checks: 1. People with learning disabilities who are aged 18 and are from South Asian, Black African and African Caribbean communities, including people with dual heritage. And 2. Living in a supported living or residential care home or regularly using residential respite care with support provided by one of the organisations supporting the project with recruitment (See recruitment section). 3. Workshops: People who have a learning disability who are aged 18+, living in England, and from an ethnic minority community. Or, 4. People who are employed as support staff at one of the provider organsiations supporting the study with recruitment. Or, 5. People who are local authority commissioners working in roles relevant to learning disability services and employed by one of the local authorities supporting the study with recruitment. Interviews: People who are employed by one of the provider organisations supporting the study with recruitment and are considered the organisation’s EDI lead, or are in a functionally equivalent role. |
| Key exclusion criteria | Quality Checks: 1. People who are under the age of 18 2. People who do not consent to take part or, if they lack the capacity to consent, a nominated or personal consultee do not agree to their participation. 3. People involved in ongoing legal proceedings involving health and social care services. Workshops: 1. People who are under the age of 18 2. People who do not consent to take part or do not have the capacity to consent to take part. 3. For the workshops with commissioners, people who do not have a relevant role 4. People involved in ongoing legal proceedings involving health and social care services. Interviews: 1. People who do not consent to take part 2. People who do not have a relevant job (EDI Lead or functionally similar role) |
| Date of first enrolment | 15/05/2025 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/12/2025 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centres
Grosvenor Square
Manchester
M15 6BH
United Kingdom
2 Millsands
Sheffield
S3 8DT
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
The Research and Innovation Directorate
6-8 Great Marlborough Street, 2nd Floor
Manchester
M1 5AL
England
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0) 0161 247 2000 |
|---|---|
| ethics@mmu.ac.uk | |
| Website | https://www.mmu.ac.uk |
Funders
Funder type
Government
Government organisation / National government
- Alternative name(s)
- National Institute for Health Research, NIHR Research, NIHRresearch, NIHR - National Institute for Health Research, NIHR (The National Institute for Health and Care Research), NIHR
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/08/2028 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not expected to be made available |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Planned publication in a peer-reviewed journal |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not expected to be made available because these data are qualitative, cover sensitive topics, and have the potential to be identifiable even with anonymisation. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol file | version 1.1 | 22/04/2025 | 11/06/2025 | No | No |
Additional files
Editorial Notes
11/06/2025: Study's existence confirmed by Health Research Authority (HRA) (UK).
