The Hidden Costs of Support Experiences of family carers who support someone with learning disabilities

This report by NDTi explores the differences between living in residential care and supported living settings for people with learning disabilities. The main difference in theory between these two housing models is whether the person’s support is provided in-house by the same organisation as the housing provider (residential care) or whether housing and support are provided separately (supported living). However, little is known about how these different models compare in practice and whether or not people’s experiences of support differ according to housing model.

Drawing on the views of self-advocates and family carers, it explored the role and input of family carers who support their relative, identified the associated time and costs and determined how these vary according to the type of housing that their relative lives in. It found that the type of housing model was less important than the quality of housing and support that their relative received, including the input from family carers.