Activities and engagement in day services for people with a mental handicap

Policy on the role and function of day services for adults with mental handicaps has changed considerably during the last 2 decades. What such settings offer their users has also changed as services have attempted to evolve in line with policy. However, the impact of these changes has gone largely unevaluated. This paper describes a study of two day centres to categorize the activity programmes of these services, and to assess service user and staff behaviour prior to a larger scale study of such services in Wales. The two centres were found to differ significantly in their programmes but not in the extent to which activities were organized in the community. Service user participation in activities varied with activity type, group composition and activity location. Whether activities were organized for the full duration of the timetabled sessions was critical to the interpretation of the extent of service user engagement. Staff showed a commendable orientation to clients and their activities in both services. Differences in the activity programmes of the two centres are discussed in terms of a continuing lack of clarity over the purposes of such day services in general. The relevance of some activities to objectives is questioned. Concern is also expressed about the resulting level of engagement achieved in planned activity.