Leadership practices in Saudi centres for people with intellectual disabilities: Leading for quality of life

BACKGROUND: Ensuring high quality of life for people with intellectual disabilities is a global priority, with effective leadership in care services recognised as a central determinant. This study investigates how leadership practices in rehabilitation and care centres influence the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities. METHOD: Employing a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, the study integrated quantitative data from 116 professionals with qualitative data from interviews with seven centre leaders. RESULTS: Quantitative findings indicate that while organisational culture was rated highly, institutional guidelines and resource allocation received the lowest ratings, with statistically significant differences between leaders and other professionals. Qualitative analysis revealed four themes: organisational approaches versus individual initiatives, multi-dimensional support systems, the role of family involvement, and meaningful community participation. CONCLUSION: Leadership functions as a critical mechanism for translating policy into meaningful quality of life outcomes; however, leaders require enhanced training and institutional support to fulfil this role.