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Person-centred planning

"Person-centred planning begins when people decide to listen carefully and in ways that can strengthen the voice of people who have been or at risk of being silenced." (O'Brien and O'Brien, 1998)

What it is and where it's come from

Person-centred planning is a process of life planning with individuals using the principles of inclusion, and a social model rather than a medical model.

With a medical model, a person is seen as the passive receiver of services and their impairment as a problem; this often leads to segregation and places to live and work that are away from the community.

A social model sees a person as being disabled by society. In this model, a person is proactive in the fight for equality and inclusion.

The concept of person-centred planning is not new. One of the first people to develop the model was John O'Brien. His 'five accomplishments' (respect, choice, participation, relationships and ordinary places) were the foundation for person-centred planning in the USA.

In 2001 the UK government published the White Paper Valuing people: a new strategy for learning disability for the 21st century. It had four key principles: rights, choice, independence and inclusion. This led to the adoption of person-centred planning by all local authorities.

There is legislation in place to support the White Paper, including the Community Care Act (1990), the Disability Discrimination Act (1995 - amended 2005) and the Human Rights Act (1998).

Person-centred planning has five key features:

the person is at the centre of the planning process
family and friends are partners in planning
the plan shows what is important to a person now and for the future and what support they need
the plan helps the person to be part of a community of their choosing and helps the community to welcome them
the plan puts into action what a person wants for their life and keeps on listening - the plan remains 'live'.

Person-centred planning tools

Plans are owned by the person. There are many ways to plan with a person, what is important is that the plan must be meaningful to them and understood by them. Some planning methods (or 'styles') include:

MAPS (Making Action Plans) - developed by Judith Snow, Jack Pearpoint and Marsha Forest. These are very visual graphic plans that look at a person's history and their aspirations for the future.
PATHS (Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope) - developed by Jack Pearpoint, Marsha Forest and John O'Brien. This looks at a person's 'North Star' (dream for the future) and puts it into action, reveiwing the plan in one to two years' time.
Personal Futures Planning - developed by Beth Mount and John O'Brien. A graphic plan which maps a person's life now and changes for the future. A good style for community mapping.
Essential Lifestyle Planning - developed by Michael Smull and Susan Burke-Harrison. This is very detailed and was developed for people with high and complex support needs. It includes a section on communication. It will usually have a health action plan as well.

"It is not ethical to plan with a person if the plan does not confront the person's exclusion and aim to create a more diverse, just and inclusive community." (Smull and Burke-Harrison, 1992)

Support from professionals and family

All these styles of planning require a trained person, called a person-centred planning facilitator, to support the process. These are skilled individuals who involve everyone in the person's life in their 'relationship circle'. They also encourage and support the individual to take control of their own plan.

They are very creative in their methods and have extensive knowledge of advocacy, working with families, finance, housing issues and how to develop better support for people.

Families also facilitate person-centred plans, often using tools such as 'Families Leading Planning'. They make a commitment to the person to put plans into action.

Person-centred approaches

For people using services, it is not the planning that matters quite as much as the presence of person-centred thinking.

This means that support staff hold person-centred values, and a belief that a person must have control in areas such as who supports them, what they do with their day, being listened to, and making decisions about their lives.

Person-centred planning and people with autism

Person-centred planning is based around the individual and is, therefore, ideal for people with autism and Asperger syndrome. When working with a person with autism or Asperger syndrome, planning tools may need to be adapted and terminology often needs to be changed so that it can be understood by the individual. It is essential that people's preferred ways of communicating are taken into account so that they can play a full part in the planning process.

Websites

Department of Health: www.dh.gov.uk
Government policy and guidance.

Families Leading Planning UK: www.familiesleadingplanning.co.uk
Family led, independent, national organisation delivering consultancy and development training on person-centred planning. They enable families to share with each other what they are learning about person-centred planning locally and nationally. Their website offers examples of plans, and movies, photos and stories in which families share their experiences.

Helen Sanderson Associates: www.helensandersonassociates.co.uk
Training and consultancy on person-centred thinking and planning. The website includes information on person-centred planning, MAPS, PATHS, personal futures planning, and essential lifestyle planning, and offers an online reading room, resources, templates and examples.

in Control: www.in-control.org.uk
Information on self-directed support and individual budgets.

Office of Public Sector Information: www.opsi.gov.uk
Access to UK legislation from 1987 onwards.

Valuing People Support Team: www.valuingpeople.gov.uk
Information about Valuing People, its implementation and resources.

Bibliography and further reading

Callicott, K. J. (2003). Culturally sensitive collaboration within person-centred planning. Focus on Autism and other Developmental Disabilities, 18(1), pp. 60-68.
Available from the NAS Information Centre

Cole, A. and Lloyd, A. (2005). Shaping the future together: a strategic planning tool for services supporting people with learning disabilities. London: Mental Health Foundation. 1903645603.

Cowan, L., Bradley, A. and Murray, K. (2006). My life plan: an interactive resource for person centred planning. [CD and User Guide]. Finstown, Orkney: Information Plus. 095446149

Department of Health (2001). Valuing people: a new strategy for learning disability for the 21st century. Norwich: The Stationery Office. Download from:
www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm50/5086/5086.pdf

Dowell, E., Johns, N. and Cooper, A. (2007). Autism and independence. A guide for local authorities: enabling adults with an autism spectrum disorder to achieve greater independence. London: The National Autistic Society. Download from: www.autism.org.uk/independence
Available from NAS Publications

Edmonds, G. (2006). Person-centred approaches to autistic spectrum conditions (ASC). Imagine, 14, pp. 12-18.
Available from the NAS Information Centre

Falvey, M. A. et al (1987). All my life's a circle: using the tools Circles, MAPS & PATHS. Toronto: Inclusion Press. 9781895418262

Glynn, M. et al (2008). Person-centred support: what service users and practitioners say. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Download from: www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/details.asp?pubID=971

Harper, S. and McClay, L. (2005). Person centred planning in East Anglia: supporting people to have real lives. Communication, 39(2), pp. 42-43.
Available from the NAS Information Centre

Houghton, Y. (2004). What do you want to do with the rest of your life? Using person centred planning in developing life experiences for adults with autism. In: Current issues for research and practice: collected papers from the 2004 Durham International Research Conference on Autism held at Van Mildert College, University of Durham. Sunderland: Autism Research Unit, pp. 77-84.
Available from the NAS Information Centre

Innes, A., Macpherson, S. and McCabe, L. (2006). Promoting person-centred care at the front line. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Download from: www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialcare/0296.asp

Moore, T. (2005). Person centred services for adults with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) in Surrey. Surrey: The Autism Project. Download from: www.surreypb.org.uk/section3/autism/autismreport.pdf

O'Brien, J. and O'Brien, C. L. (eds.) (1998). A little book about person centred planning. Toronto: Inclusion Press.

Robertson, J. et al (2005). The impact of person centred planning. Lancaster: Institute for Health Research, Lancaster University. Download from: www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/ihr/publications.htm

Scottish Executive (2000). The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive. Download from: www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2000/05/12778/File-1

Smull, M. and Burke-Harrison, S. (1992) Supporting people with severe reputations in the community. Alexandria, VA: National Association of State Mental Retardation Program Directors.

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By Lesley Waugh, Person Centred Planning Co-ordinator, NAS, and Stephanie Taylor, Library and Information Officer, NAS Information Centre.