The Individual Budgets Pilot Projects: Impact and Outcomes for Carers

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Transforming lives and societies through education and research at DCU

Dublin City University identifies Sustainability as a core theme underpinning all of the University’s activities and strategic goals [1]. DCU is committed to ensuring that all graduates understand the challenges of environmental sustainability and have the sustainability competencies that will equip them to be global citizens, inspired and empowered to take the actions necessary for a sustainable future. DCU undertakes sustainability focused research and works to demonstrate, where feasible, these sustainable solutions within our Living Lab campuses. DCU also works with enterprise and societal communities to engage, inform and support these communities on our joint sustainable journey.Keyword: Sustainability Challenges, Education for Sustainable Development, Environmental Sustainabilit

Hoping for a better tomorrow’: a qualitative study of stressors, informal social support and parental coping in a Direct Provision centre in the West of Ireland

This paper focuses on informal social support and coping amongst parents living in a Direct Provision (DP) reception centre in the rural west of Ireland. Since 2000, asylum seekers in Ireland are subject to DP where the state provides accommodation and food to asylum seeking families, and a small supplementary allowance. Despite calls for its abandonment and that it constitutes ‘citizenship based discrimination’, DP features prominently in Irish policy on asylum seeking. Drawing on qualitative interview materials from an evaluation of childcare services in one asylum seeker reception centre, we argue that children living in DP are frequently exposed to risky behaviours, and that the DP system adversely affects children’s resilience, stifling their educational, emotional and social development. In Ireland, supports for families and children living in DP are relatively weak, and despite protests for enhancing asylum seekers’ rights in housing and employment, asylum seekers interviewed for this study feel abandoned by the state. Instead, they rely heavily on local services for emotional and financial supports to cope with living conditions in DP. The paper argues for a culturally responsive approach to policy-making that is grounded in human rights and family support which recognizes the importance of community services in providing emotional and practical supports to parents

Taking on and taking over : choice and control for physically disabled young adults

This study looked at ways of supporting physically disabled young adults to achieve their preferred levels of control over care and support arrangements: * What are physically disabled young adults experiences of managing their care and support arrangements? * How can they be better supported? Key findings and practice implications are included. A video about the research findings is also available and a poster showing the challenges and solutions for supporting young physically disabled people

Taking on choice and control in personal care and support : the experiences of physically disabled young adults

Summary: Research on self-directed care has focused on older people and adults with learning disabilities or mental health difficulties. This paper reports physically disabled young adults’ experiences of self-directed care. Such work is important because young adults are a ‘minority’ group within adult social care. This, and their still developing life skills and lack of life experience, may have a bearing on their experiences of self-directed care and associated support needs. An exploratory qualitative study using semi-structured interviews investigated this issue. Participants were aged 19-29 years with a range of congenital and acquired impairments. Findings: Many aspects of interviewees’ experiences of self-directed care appeared to be influenced by their limited life experience, the fact they are still developing life skills and are a minority group within adult social care. Interviewees identified their lack of life experience and self-confidence as making them cautious in assuming responsibility for their care arrangements and, typically, their desire for on-going parental support. They also believed their age and life stage contributed to difficulties managing carers and PAs. Preferences around the characteristics of carers/PAs were influenced by their age and desire to integrate into mainstream activities. Information provided by statutory services did not (fully) acknowledge that some users were young adults. Applications: Compared to other physically disabled users of adult social care, young adults’ under-developed life skills and lack of life experience influences their experiences as users, and the support they needed to assume control of their care arrangements. Tailored information and support for this ‘minority group’ is required. Keywords: self- or consumer-directed support; personalization; adult social care; physical disability; young adults; transitio

Cine MRI assessment of motility in the unprepared small bowel in the fasting and fed state: beyond the breath-hold

BackgroundThe symptoms of functional bowel disorders are common in postprandial but investigations are generally undertaken in the fasted state using invasive procedures. MRI provides a noninvasive tool to study the gastrointestinal tract in an unperturbed, fed state. The aim of this study was to develop a technique to assess small bowel motility from cine MRI data in the unprepared bowel in fasting and fed states.MethodsFifteen healthy volunteers underwent a baseline MRI scan after which they consumed a 400 g soup. Subjects then underwent a postprandial scan followed by further scans at regular intervals. Small bowel motility was assessed using single‐slice bTFE cine MRI. An optimized processing technique was used to generate motility data based on power spectrum analysis of voxel‐signal changes with time. Interobserver variability (n = 15) and intra‐observer (n = 6) variability were assessed. Changes in the motility index were compared between fasted and immediate postprandial state.Key ResultsExcellent agreement between observers was seen across the range of motility measurements acquired, with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.979 (P [less than] 0.0001) and Bland‐Altman limits of agreement 95% CI: −28.9 to 45.9 au. Intra‐observer variability was low with ICC of 0.992 and 0.960 (2 observers, P [less than] 0.0001). Changes from the fasted to immediately postprandial state showed an average increase of 122.4% ± 98.7% (n = 15).Conclusions & InferencesThis optimized technique showed excellent inter and intra observer agreement. It was sensitive to changes in motility induced feeding. This technique will be useful to study contractile activity and regional patterns along the gastrointestinal tract under physiological conditions