Social capital, social inclusion and services for people with learning disabilities

Information was collected on the social networks of 500 adults with mental retardation receiving different types of residential supports. Results indicated that (a) the reported median size of participants' social networks (excluding staff) was 2 people; (b) 83% of participants were reported to have a staff member; 72%, a member of their family; 54%, another person with mental retardation; and 30%, a person who did not fit into any of these categories in their social network; (c) variation in the size and composition of participants' social networks was associated with a range of variables, including the personal characteristics of residents (age, autism, ability, and challenging behavior), the type of previous and current accommodation, staffing ratios, institutional climate, and the implementation of "active support."

This paper examines the impact of ethnic identity on the likelihood of peoples' participation in local community networks, in the context of recent policy emphasis on the participation of marginalised communities in such networks as a means of reducing health inequalities. Conceptually, the paper is located against the background of debates about possible links between health and social capital--defined in terms of grassroots participation in local community networks--and an interest in the way in which social exclusion impacts on social capital. The paper draws on lengthy semi-structured, open-ended interviews with 25 African-Caribbean residents of a deprived multi-ethnic area of a south England town. While African-Caribbean identity played a central role in peoples' participation in inter-personal networks, this inter-personal solidarity did not serve to unite people at the local community level beyond particular face-to-face networks. Levels of participation in voluntary organisations and community activist networks were low. Informants regarded this lack of African-Caribbean unity within the local community as a problem, saying that it placed African-Caribbean people at a distinct disadvantage--furthering their social exclusion through limiting their access to various local community resources. The paper examines the way in which the construction of ethnic identities--within a context of institutionalised racism at both the material and symbolic levels--makes it unlikely that people will view local community organisations or networks as representative of their interests or needs, or be motivated to participate in them. Our findings highlight the limitations of policies which simply call for increased community participation by socially excluded groups, in the absence of specific measures to address the obstacles that stand in the way of such participation.