Questionnaire data were collected from 59 direct care staff in a residential service for people with multiple disabilities, and compared to actual staff turnover 3 years later. The questionnaire asked for information relating to: demographic characeristics of staff; perceived job tasks and work roles; perceived practical and emotional support from other staff; commitment to the organisation; job satisfaction; coping strategies; perceived stress; and intention to quit the organisation. Staff who had stayed with the organisation were younger, educated to a lower level, more satisfied with promotion prospects and public respect for the job, experienced less role ambiguity and role conflict, and received more practical support from their immediate supervisor, compared to staff who had left the organisation. A logistic regression analysis revealed that the two most important predictors of actual staff turnover were staff satisfaction with public respect for the job and levels of practical support from supervisors. The implications of these findings are discussed.