Commonsense and the 'doing' of supported care: a case study

Background: A critical analysis is provided of naturally occurring talk between 6 support workers and an allied health professional as they go about their business of doing a behavioural management plan for Jane, a woman with a severe intellectual and communication disability. Method: Utilising Membership Categorization Analysis, a form of ethnomethodology, the research focuses on the procedural knowledge in use. Results: This knowledge is used to show the underlying social order found in the meeting. The investigation identifies the pairing of what have previously been regarded as separate entities: "Client" and "Worker" as "Client'V'Worker". Conclusions: This research has implications for our understanding of the silent partner - the client - and the support offered to people constituted as having an intellectual disability. © 2005 Australasian Society for the Study of Intellectual Disability Inc.