Planning services for the intellectually handicapped in North Canterbury

The development of a wider range of service alternatives for the care of the intellectually handicapped (IH) has led to the establishment of multiple agencies in the field of service provision. A multi-agency, multi-disciplinary working party has undertaken a survey of all IH persons in the area, including an assessment of problems in service provision. There were a total of 2330 IH persons in the area. The prevalence rate for North Canterbury is 3.94 per 1000 which is substantially higher than the New Zealand figure of 3.29 of a previous survey. The working party has sponsored communication and mutual understanding and support through workshops, the formation of a parents committee and an information exchange system.