Good Lives Wairarapa chairperson Anita Nicholls has completed her Master’s thesis, “Navigating Care: Family Carers’ Support Needs in Managing Flexible Funding.”
The thesis examines the role played by family carers in Aotearoa New Zealand who manage Flexible Funding on behalf of someone with a learning (intellectual) disability. The research addresses the question: What are the learning and support needs of family carers managing Flexible Funding? The study used a multiple case study design and included data gathered from the lived experience of family carers as well as analysis of relevant websites and documents.
The research found that to construct a good life for a family member with a learning disability, family carers required: disability services that offered high quality support; strong support networks; knowledge of the disabled person’s preferences; practice that aligned with Enabling Good Life principles; access to information, and advocacy skills.
The implications of this study are that family carers need access to the resources, knowledge and training that facilitate their use of Flexible Funding. Carers access to these supports have been limited by government policy and disability organisations’ practice. There is a need to refocus Government policy and organisational practice to meet the needs of disabled people and their families, as envisioned by Enabling Good Lives.
The thesis can be accessed online here:
Nicholls, A. (2025). Navigating Care: Family Carers’ Support Needs in Managing Flexible Funding. Master’s Thesis. University of Canterbury https://hdl.handle.net/10092/108279
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