The role of practice leadership in active support: Impact of practice leaders’ presence in services

Aim: Research shows practice leadership to be a factor for successful implementation of active support. We explored differences in staff practice, associated with the presence of a practice leader in a service.
Method: Quality of support and engagement for 189 service users with intellectual disabilities from 58 services were collected during a 2-hour observation, using the Engagement in Meaningful Activities and Relationships and the Active Support Measure. The practice leader was present in 19 services (n=59) and absent for 39 (n=111). An observed measure of practice leadership was administered during a second visit to each service.
Results: When the practice leader was present, levels of engagement (p<0.01) and active support (p<0.001) were statistically higher. Though measured at a different time, observed practice leadership was also higher in services where the practice leader was present during the first observation.
Conclusions: The level of observed practice leadership and presence of the practice leader appear to be associated with better quality of support. This provides further evidence of the importance of systems for supporting, monitoring, modelling and improving staff practice for effective implementation of active support.