Publisher's Synopsis
Over the past decade, changes in community care policy and wider socioeconomic forces have resulted in limited resources being increasingly targeted on high level need, at the expense of lower level, preventative services. This has led to a significant proportion of people with support needs living unsupported in the community. Although a number of initiatives and policy developments over the last two years have reasserted the importance of low intensity support services, the current debate is taking place largely without a comprehensive assessment of the evidence. Low intensity support services presents the findings of a systematic literature review examining their effectiveness, to provide information that will be useful for the discussion on, and development of, appropriate low level services. The report provides detailed methodology which will be vital reading for anyone undertaking similar evidence-based reviews, and presents the review's findings in three broad areas of study: tenancy and housing support services; practical support for people with support needs; services which aim to increase social well-being and/or provide companionship or befriending. · It concludes with an assessment of the research evidence as a whole and looks at what is known about the effectiveness of low intensity support services, highlighting key issues for effective service provision and making recommendations for future research. Low intensity support services is vital reading for researchers, funders, policy makers and practitioners in the field of study and provides useful information for anyone establishing a service providing low intensity support.
