Who decides how best to live?

Who decides how best to live?

Making hay at Camphill: communities like this can provide a sense of belonging and peer support

Commissioners appear to be wary of placing people in Camphill communities, notes Andrew Plant. He questions whether ideology is leading to one model of housing with support being promoted above all others, and whether this restricts choice and is in people’s interests

The Camphill movement started in Aberdeen in 1940 and there are now 119 communities in 27 countries across the world.

Camphill communities in Scotland support more than 600 people of all ages with learning disabilities and other support needs. About two thirds of these live in one of the 11 communities, and the others have day placements.

Each community shares a common ethos of mutual support, celebration and purposeful work activities. The emphasis is on people sharing their lives together. There is a mix of unsalaried vocational workers who live in the community and staff who come in to work on a salaried basis. Most communities offer placements for young volunteers from abroad, adding to Camphill’s social diversity.

In 2017, Camphill Scotland, commissioned a research report to explore how the Scottish Camphill communities are viewed by key stakeholders.

The findings highlight the strengths of the communities from the point of view of family members (echoed by some professionals) – the friendly lifestyle, a strong sense of community, and a safe and secure environment. Other strengths were caring and well-trained staff and volunteers, a good range of choice and activities, and opportunities to learn skills.

However, the report adds: ‘the qualitative data suggests that local authorities are not proactive in searching out information on Camphill communities and it is likely to be parents/ carers/ family members who will prompt local authority consideration.’

If social workers and commissioning teams are not aware of the communities or are wary about supporting a placement in one, then it seems reasonable to explore this carefully and ask if it reflects a national policy that promotes one model of housing and support over another.

I have lived and worked in Camphill communities for more than 37 years so obviously I have a certain bias when it comes to objective evaluation of them. Nevertheless, my experience suggests they go far in addressing the major issues that people with learning disabilities face today, such as good housing, social inclusion, employment, healthy lifestyles, positive outcomes, feeling safe and feeling valued.

So, despite these apparent successes what are the factors that might lead to Camphill communities being less favoured by placing authorities?

“People do not have similar needs and wishes, so the arguments

should not be for one type of provision but a range”

Some recent reports argue that the best way forward for people with learning disabilities is normalisation, inclusion and independent living in the community, while others identify the need for more shared tenancies and group living situations to prevent social isolation and loneliness.

Conflicting fears and aspirations

This is a false dichotomy between ‘residential care’ and ‘living in the community’ – a dichotomy reflected both in the national discourse and commissioning decisions.

On the one hand group situations, sometimes referred to as ‘congregate care’, are regarded with some suspicion. They can be seen as institutional, there have been alarming stories of neglect and abuse, and there is a presumption that such placements are driven by a cost-cutting imperative.

On the other hand, there is concern that the aim to provide an independent life in the community can sometimes lead to social isolation and loneliness because the local setting might not be as welcoming as was expected, and lack the necessary facilities and levels of support.

In dismissing group living too easily, there is a danger of overlooking the value of peer support found when people share their lives, as the social theory of homophily – people wanting to be with people similar to themselves – suggests. It must also be remembered that the population of people with learning disabilities is not a cohesive and homogenous group, all with similar needs and wishes. The argument therefore should not be in favour of one type of provision over another, but for a range and meaningful choice around individual housing and support.

This dichotomy between group living settings and independent living is highlighted in the The Keys to Life -the Scottish Government’s 2013 Learning Disability strategy (https://keystolife.info). This is an aspirational strategy but it does, however, have some worrying aspects, particularly in relation to choice and control.

It emphasises that a range of choices should be available to people with learning disabilities and recognises some of the limitations of the independent living model. It also makes a positive reference to the Camphill communities: ‘Not everyone with learning disabilities will choose to live in their own home … For some people living and working in a Camphill community really brings out the best in them.’

Despite this, The Keys to Life strategy clearly comes out in support of independent living in the community. It also opposes out of area placements in the belief that people with learning disabilities should be allowed to live close to their families and other sources of local support.

This is the concern – that a strategy, discourse or ideology can lead to a restriction of the choices open to people when trying to find the most appropriate form of housing and support for their individual needs and wishes.

Living in a Camphill community and taking part in purposeful and productive work in that community, even if it means choosing to move out of your local authority area to do so, can be a positive choice with positive outcomes, as our research findings so clearly demonstrate.

Andrew Plant is manager of Supported Living Services at the Milltown Camphill Community in Aberdeenshire (www.camphillscotland.org.uk/community/milltown)