Active Support is an internationally well-researched staff practice to improve quality of life for people with intellectual disabilities living in group homes. However, research findings from Sweden are lacking about Active Support. The aim of this doctoral thesis was to investigate the two-year effect of Active Support, including Frontline Practice Leadership, in Swedish group homes for people with intellectual disabilities.

Four group homes participated in this intervention project. A mixed methods approach was used, combining interviews with managers and service users, observations of leadership and staff-service users’ interactions and staff questionnaires. Data was collected on repeated occasions, both before and after the training, to evaluate the longitudinal effects of Active Support training.

Results showed that better support was given in all four group homes after Active Support training. Services users said that their influence, choices and emotional support had improved. Observations over two years confirmed that staff-serviceusers’ interactions had improved with more activity and choices. Practice leadership, a part of Active Support, was important for working with Active Support and feedback sessions were particularly important to continuously develop staff support.This intervention project shows that Active Support is a promising staff practice that develops staff´s support skills in group homes in Sweden. These findings also show the importance that people with intellectual disabilities are heard when evaluating new staff practices.