Risk Management in the Rehabilitation of Offenders with Learning Disabilities: A Qualitative Study

2002 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-45
Author(s):  
Bob Heyman ◽  
Carol Buswell Griffiths ◽  
John L Taylor ◽  
Gregory O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Qualitative Study

scholarly journals A Qualitative Study on the US Forest Service’s Risk Management Assistance Efforts to Improve Wildfire Decision-Making

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 344
Author(s):  
Courtney A. Schultz ◽  
Lauren F. Miller ◽  
Sarah Michelle Greiner ◽  
Chad Kooistra
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Perceived Value ◽  
Forest Service ◽  
The Us ◽  
Decision Biases ◽  
Line Officers

To support improved wildfire incident decision-making, in 2017 the US Forest Service (Forest Service) implemented risk-informed tools and processes, together known as Risk Management Assistance (RMA). The Forest Service is developing tools such as RMA to improve wildfire decision-making and implements these tools in complex organizational environments. We assessed the perceived value of RMA and factors that affected its use to inform the literature on decision support for fire management. We sought to answer two questions: (1) What was the perceived value of RMA for line officers who received it?; and (2) What factors affected how RMA was received and used during wildland fire events? We conducted a qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with decision-makers to understand the contextualized and interrelated factors that affect wildfire decision-making and the uptake of a decision-support intervention such as RMA. We used a thematic coding process to analyze our data according to our questions. RMA increased line officers’ ability to communicate the rationale underlying their decisions more clearly and transparently to their colleagues and partners. Our interviewees generally said that RMA data analytics were valuable but did not lead to changes in their decisions. Line officer personality, pre-season exposure to RMA, local political dynamics and conditions, and decision biases affected the use of RMA. Our findings reveal the complexities of embracing risk management, not only in the context of US federal fire management, but also in other similar emergency management contexts. Attention will need to be paid to existing decision biases, integration of risk management approaches in the interagency context, and the importance of knowledge brokers to connect across internal organizational groups. Our findings contribute to the literature on managing change in public organizations, specifically in emergency decision-making contexts such as fire management.

scholarly journals EXPLOITING POSITIVE RISK THROUGH ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND PROACTIVE IDENTIFICATION

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie Denney
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Management Process ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Specific Training ◽  
Positive Side ◽  
Portfolio Managers ◽  
Future Project

<p>Risk management is commonly accepted as a foundational management process to increase the likelihood of project success. Risks can be categorized as either threats (negative events or conditions) or opportunities (positive). This qualitative study explored the positive side of risk management to examine if opportunity management is still underutilized by practitioners, as has been reported in previous studies and standards. Recommendations from this study for improved use of opportunity management include development of: (a) specific training on opportunity management (b) catalog of opportunity examples, and (c) template for the business case for opportunity management. This research provides greater insight to improve the efficacy for current and future project, program, and portfolio managers.</p>

scholarly journals Children's Voices: Perspectives on Using Assistive Technology

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin E. Schock ◽  
Elizabeth A Lee
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Elementary School Children ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Students With Ld ◽  
Children’S Voices ◽  
Technology In Schools

Rarely are the views of children with learning disabilities elicited. In this study, we used focus groups involving eight students with learning disabilities to explore their self-perceptions as learners and writers using assistive technology (AT). Three groups of two to three Grade 4–8 students and their parents participated in the qualitative study. Both student and parent responses provided data for thematic analysis that resulted in three themes: (a) changes in students’ self-perceptions as learners; (b) student and parental self-reported benefits of using assistive technology; and (c) inconsistencies in approaches to using assistive technology in schools. The implications for education are greater attention to the views of elementary school children; greater focus on the use of AT in the classroom; and greater AT training for teachers in order to better support the use of AT by students with LD.

scholarly journals Evaluating specialist autism teams’ provision of care and support for autistic adults without learning disabilities: the SHAPE mixed-methods study

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (48) ◽  
pp. 1-200
Author(s):  
Bryony Beresford ◽  
Suzanne Mukherjee ◽  
Emese Mayhew ◽  
Emily Heavey ◽  
A-La Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Service Characteristics ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Care And Support

Background The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that every locality has a ‘Specialist Autism Team’: an specialist autism, community-based, multidisciplinary service that is responsible for developing, co-ordinating and delivering care and support. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended that this novel delivery model was evaluated. Objectives The objectives were to identify services fulfilling the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s description of a Specialist Autism Team; to describe practitioner and user experiences; to investigate outcomes; to identify factors associated with these outcomes; and to estimate costs and investigate cost-effectiveness of these services. Design During stage 1, desk-based research and a survey to identify Specialist Autism Teams were carried out. Stage 2 comprised a mixed-methods observational study of a cohort of Specialist Autism Team users, which was followed for up to 2 years from the assessment appointment. The cohort comprised users of a Specialist Autism Team not previously diagnosed with autism (the ‘Diagnosis and Support’ group) and those already diagnosed (the ‘Support-Only’ group). Stage 2 also involved a nested qualitative study of senior practitioners and an exploratory comparison of the Diagnosis and Support group with a cohort who accessed a service which only provided autism diagnostic assessments (‘Diagnosis-Only’ cohort). Setting The setting in stage 2 was nine Specialist Autism Teams; three also provided a regional diagnostic assessment service (used to recruit the Diagnosis-Only cohort). Participants There were 252 participants in the Specialist Autism Team cohort (Diagnosis and Support, n = 164; Support Only, n = 88) and 56 participants in the Diagnosis-Only cohort. Thirty-eight participants (across both cohorts) were recruited to the qualitative evaluation and 11 practitioners to the nested qualitative study. Main outcome measures The World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment, abbreviated version (psychological domain) and the General Health Questionnaire (12-item version). Data sources Self-reported outcomes, qualitative interviews with users and focus groups with practitioners. Results A total of 18 Specialist Autism Teams were identified, all for autistic adults without learning disabilities. Services varied in their characteristics. The resources available, commissioner specifications and clinical opinion determined service design. Practitioners working in Specialist Autism Teams recruited to stage 2 reported year-on-year increases in referral rates without commensurate increases in funding. They called for an expansion of Specialist Autism Teams’ consultation/supervision function and resources for low-intensity, ongoing support. For the Specialist Autism Team cohort, there was evidence of prevention of deterioration in outcomes and positive benefit for the Diagnosis and Support group at the 1-year follow-up (T3). Users of services with more professions involved were likely to experience better outcomes; however, such services may not be considered cost-effective. Some service characteristics were not associated with outcomes, suggesting that different structural/organisational models are acceptable. Findings suggest that one-to-one work for mental health problems was cost-effective and an episodic approach to delivering care plans was more cost-effective than managed care. Qualitative findings generally align with quantitative findings; however, users consistently connected a managed-care approach to supporting improvement in outcomes. Among the Diagnosis-Only cohort, no changes in mental health outcomes at T3 were observed. Findings from the interviews with individuals in the Diagnosis and Support group and Diagnosis-Only cohort suggest that extended psychoeducation post diagnosis has an impact on immediate and longer-term adjustment. Limitations Sample size prohibited an investigation of the associations between some service characteristics and outcomes. Comparison of the Diagnosis-Only cohort and the Diagnosis and Support group was underpowered. The economic evaluation was limited by incomplete costs data. Conclusions The study provides first evidence on the implementation of Specialist Autism Teams. There is some evidence of benefit for this model of care. Service characteristics that may affect outcomes, costs and cost-effectiveness were identified. Finding suggest that extended psychoeducation post diagnosis is a critical element of Specialist Autism Team provision. Future work We recommend a comparative evaluation of Specialist Autism Teams with diagnosis-only provision, and an evaluation of models of providing consultation/supervision and low-intensity support. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 8, No. 48. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Sexuality and Personal Relationships for People with Learning Disabilities: A Framework for Assessment and Intervention

1999 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-135
Author(s):  
G. J. Collins ◽  
D. Cozens
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Personal Relationships

Sexuality and personal relationships still present many challenges to those working to provide valued lifestyles for people with learning disabilities. However, the focus of much recent work has been on a risk management theme rather than promoting sexuality as a positive, valued experience. This paper presents a simple framework for understanding issues about relationships and sexuality and describes the development of an assessment package for identifying key areas in which to promote positive changes. The framework considers issues about relationships in three areas: skills, knowledge and opportunities. Practical examples are used to illustrate its utility.

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