South Asian carers of a child with severe intellectual disabilities : support and outcomes.

The present paper reports the findings of a quantitative survey conducted with 150 South-Asian carers of a child with severe intellectual disabilities. The study covered a number of issues identified in a qualitative study as important by South-Asian carers. In particular, the survey focused on the support needs of the child and the family, formal and informal supports received by carers, and outcomes for both children and carers. The circumstances of families, the support that they received, and the outcomes experienced by children and carers are described. Links between family circumstances, support and outcomes are also investigated to determine the patterns of formal and informal support associated with positive outcomes for children and carers. These results are linked with findings from a previous paper to outline recommendations for policy and practice