Community support for people with a learning disability and/or autistic people can be a complex process. Even more so if people also have a mental health need. Success depends on a concerted effort across multiple agencies working in partnership with the people supported and their families.

However, it can and does work, delivering a good quality of life, often at much lower prices compared to hospital settings. This assertion is supported by a body of policy guidance and literature going back almost three decades.

This report celebrates successful community support. It includes eight stories of people who have previously been placed in hospital settings, often called Assessment and Treatment Units. All are now thriving in community services across England. There is no single model of care and support that explains this success. Each story is different. However, common threads emerge, which echo recommendations and findings in the supporting literature:

Consider the common threads and read the stories at…

Care Quality Commission source: https://www.cqc.org.uk/publications/themed-work/home-good-successful-community-support-people-learning-disability-mental