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workforce
What about the workers? admirable initiatives like Stay Up Late.
Inherent tensions are intensified by

Who could argue that people with
learning disabilities shouldn’t be able to go
Working with people with learning disabilities is often low paid, out and enjoy themselves, unconstrained
undervalued and demanding. Why do people do it, and how by shift patterns? But, if you are the
can this type of employment be reformed? asks Jan Walmsley worker, how do you manage childcare, a
social life or care for elderly relatives if you
“ wish my employer treated me as well don’t know what time your shift ends?

as they expect me to treat my clients.”
Too much altruism: time for a rethink?
I This comment, from a young woman
need to attract and keep good people.
working in a residential home, says a lot It is time to think again. We desperately
about what is wrong with the way we There are great people in the sector but
treat the learning disability workforce. it relies too much on altruistic
The workforce is the least regarded commitment and too little on good
element of the puzzle about how to ensure a conditions of work, a half-decent salary
good life for people with learning disabilities. and prospects for advancement.
Yet it is probably the most important. We should look hard at social pedagogy
I recently spent time with five women – the basis of qualifications for people
who work with people other services have The workforce is the least regarded piece of working in childcare and learning
rejected. What made them stay in such a the puzzle of ensuring a good life – and disability in several European countries. It
low-paid, undervalued and difficult job? probably the most important makes sense to make learning part of the
The answers were heart-warming. The qualification for working in the sector we
pride when someone makes a tiny step In 1961, eminent academic Richard call learning disability.
forward – Frankie had that day managed Titmuss observed prophetically: “We are It is going to take a while to get
breakfast at a café. “When we have a bad drifting into a situation in which, by momentum to reform the learning
day, I’ll be able to remember that.” shifting the emphasis from the institutions disability workforce. In the meantime, we
Another talked of going home every day to the community … which in principle have an underpaid, stressed and
with cuts and bruises, wondering if she and with qualifications we all applaud – undervalued workforce. We know that
could have done things differently to we are transferring … care … from trained good support makes all the difference. So
prevent yet another urinary infection, the staff to untrained staff or ill-equipped staff what can be done?
cause of the person’s distress. or no staff at all” (Welshman and
What else helped? First, knowing you Walmsley, 2006).
can call on your mates when you need to. In 1979, Dame Peggy Jay, investigating “ It relies too much on
Next, positive management processes, nursing, advocated for a new profession
including mentoring, supervision, praise – a hybrid of nursing and social work altruistic commitment,
when they had done well and noticing suitable for the new era. She was ignored. and too little on good
when things were not going so well. These So we have rubbed along with an working conditions, salary
were in place but, because of staffing unqualified and poorly paid workforce.
shortages, not consistently practised. So and career prospects
the difficulties of recruitment and Ambivalence over pay and conditions ”
retention feed on themselves. It is easy to blame the government, and it
It is no surprise that the first thing on would not be unjustified. However, there Asking people endlessly to turn the
the risk register of this and many similar is also ambivalence within the sector other cheek and to give to others is asking
organisations is recruitment, closely about better pay and conditions. a great deal, certainly more than I would
followed by retention. People supporting normalisation back in be willing to do.
the 1980s regarded support workers as a Two friends have started a social
A bit of history route into community connections. enterprise, Sustainable Source (www.
We live with the legacy of the institutional Workers were encouraged to share family sustainablesource.org.uk), which is
era. The institutional workforce was and friends, to help clients build dedicated to supporting workers. There is
technically a medical one. The medical relationships – you do not need a something important here, about giving
superintendent, a psychiatrist, ruled. professional qualification for that. people space and time out to replenish
Nurses and auxiliaries did the hard work, Social model thinking is resolutely their reserves and understand what is
and therapists would visit. Staff shortages opposed to professionalisation and happening. As a partial solution to a very
pressing problem, it is worth a
views it as preferable to employ a
dogged these institutions and, indeed,
Charles Hamm/Wikimedia Commons decision to close them as nobler motives. training baggage. Jan Walmsley is an independent researcher
may have played as big a part in the
personal assistant with no care
second look. n
Add to this the distaste for making
Outside institutions in the 1950s and
1960s, attempts were made to introduce
money on the back of other people’s
Reference
training courses for people working in
impairments and the low value
Mitchell D, Welshman J (2006) In the shadow
traditionally assigned to women’s work of
occupation centres (work-based centres
of the Poor Law: workforce issues. In:
that were precursors to day centres) and
underinvestment.
hostels, but most staff were unqualified.
in Perspective. London: MacMillan: 194
www.cl-initiatives.co.uk caring, and you have a situation ripe for Welshman J, Walmsley J, eds, Community Care
Community Living Vol 32 No 4 | Summer 2019 19