Therapeutic communities for people with intellectual disability and complex needs

– The purpose of this paper is to describe the use and value of therapeutic communties (TCs) in services for people with intellectual disabilities (IDs) and complex needs.

– A structured literature review of TC in ID services.

– TCs have been used in a range of in-patient services for people with IDs. Although outcome studies are scarce, those that exist offer promising indications of such service designs.

– TCs have seen a recent increase of interest in ID services. This paper provides an overview of these services and outlines the benefits that such a residential culture can offer for both service users and staff members.