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Research on Deinstitutionalisation
Examination of the outcomes of the resettlement of residents from the Kimberley Centre
The Kimberley Centre research project's primary aim was to capture and explore the outcomes associated with the closure of New Zealand's last specialist institution for people with an intellectual disability. The project used a longitudinal research design to explore the quality of life implications of institutional closure for residents, families and staff who shared a common connection to Kimberly Centre, located on the outskirts of Levin, New Zealand.
Forty-seven Kimberley Centre residents, their families, key staff identified as knowing a resident well and 48 additional Kimberley Centre staff contributed to findings over the five years data collection took place.
The project was organized in two phases. The first phase of the research focused on exploring the day to day reality of living at Kimberley and of the experiences of families and staff engaged in the process of deinstitutionalisation but contemplating eventual resident resettlement to dispersed or clustered community based services. Data collected from an array of measures, including semi-structured interviews, focus groups, systematic observation, standardized tests, a questionnaire and file information was drawn on to build a comprehensive picture of life at Kimberley Centre. Outcomes that encompassed the sweep of domains advanced as contributing to life quality were derived by comparing data collected in repeated measures administered 3-6 and 12 months after each resident left Kimberley Centre.
Findings for residents, families and staff and their relationship to existing deinstitutionalisation research are presented in three major reports available on this website together with a short, plain language report giving a brief overview of the project. Members of the research team have presented findings at national and international research conferences, service provider forums and in the Donald Beasley seminar series.
Research Team: Sue Gates, Paul Milner, Dr Claire Stewart, Dr Brigit Mirfin-Veitch, Kelly Tikao, Dr Daniel Schumayer.
