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click to download 'Personal Planning' PDF
What do we mean by Personal Planning?
Personal Planning is a process of discovery. It is a planning process that enables individuals to be self-determining and involves recording and supporting the choices, goals, dreams and aspirations of each individual.
- The aim of personal planning is for individuals and family/whanau to create a better life for themselves (not the development of a plan).
- Different approaches will be required for different people.
- Personal plans are built on strengths, preferences and aspirations.
- To be useful, plans must be translated into actions.
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How might Personal Planning be achieved?
- An initial key step is obtaining a clear understanding of how the individual communicates.
- A strong relationship is developed with the individuals and their natural supports.
- Attention is given to describing and recording the individual’s apparent preferences.
- On the basis of “known preference”, strengths and personal aspirations the individual, in conjunction with the individual’s natural supports and the service, develop goals. This can include providing the individual with opportunities to try new experiences.
- There is close observation regarding whether the individual is enjoying the new experience (or not) or whether goals are being achieved (e.g. progress notes).
- A Plan - Act – Evaluate – Adapt framework is used to ensure Personal Planning is an active and meaningful process. Activities, experiences and programmes are continually adapted on the basis of what the individual is expressing.
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What might Personal Planning look like?
For the individual:
- Supporters spend time to get to know my preferences and strengths
- How I communicate is understood
- I am encouraged to think about what I want in my life
- I am supported to make informed choices and try new things
- People have optimistic expectations about what I can achieve
For family/whanau:
- I am encouraged to think about possibilities
- My opinions are respected
- My role as family/whanau is acknowledged
For the service provider:
- Clear processes are in place
- Flexibility – planning approaches can be adapted to what is best for the individual and their family/whanau
- The service is responsive to changing circumstances and opportunities that arise.
- Staff resource is allocated on the basis of what people want
- Progress is monitored and changes are made to ensure success
- The collated themes evident in personal planning contribute to organisational strategic planning
For the community:
- I may be invited to participate
- Community assets, resources and supports are identified
- I may be encouraged to support someone to achieve their goals
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Developing Effective Practice: Skills Needed in Personal Planning
Staff involved in personal planning require:
- The ability to actively listen.
- The ability to observe and make connections.
- Flexibility and an understanding that planning approaches may need to vary from person to person.
- A pro-active approach, which involves them actively looking for opportunities that may help a person achieve their goals, or which may extend their experiences based on their known preferences.
- The ability to be a facilitator.
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Developing Effective Practice: Putting Plans into Action
- “Unravel” what a person’s aspirations really say. For example, an aspiration to be a champion swimmer indicates an interest in swimming and a desire to be valued. How can these aspirations be achieved?
- Work backwards from the seemingly large and unachievable goal, and break it down to smaller, achievable steps. This enables the person to try a variety of things and means they are not set up to fail.
- Create an environment where the individual and family/whanau are comfortable to try new things. This involves accepting that sometimes things may not work out. In these situations it is important to talk through what happened and how obstacles can be overcome.
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Developing Effective Practice: Personal Planning for People with High Support Needs
People with high support needs may find it difficult to express what they want or like. The planning process, therefore, requires:
- Knowing the person well
- Having good links with the person’s greater support network
- Having good observation skills.
- Trying a variety of different ‘keys’ to unlock what a person is trying to say.
- It may be necessary to start small by discovering an area of interest or something the person enjoys.
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Links and Resources
Some Personal Planning Approaches
Circles of Support
A circle of support, sometimes called a circle of friends, is a group of people who meet together on a regular basis to help somebody accomplish their personal goals in life. The circle acts as a community around that person (the 'focus person') and a facilitator is normally chosen from within the circle to take care of the work required to keep it running.
For more information:
http://www.circlesnetwork.org.uk/circles_of_support.htm
PATH (Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope)
Using the focus person's dreams as a starting point, a PATH is used to help plan the steps necessary to achieve those dreams and aspirations. The PATH helps to make clear who's help is needed, how to go back enrolling appropriate assistance, who will help with what, the first steps to be taken, 6 monthly goals and so on. It was created by Marsha Forest and Jack Pearpoint from Inclusion Press.
The Big Plan (see note in the index right)
This is an approach designed for young people transitioning from school and involves young people and their families planning together at an event with other families. It is based on the question: What would it take for this young person to have an interesting and fulfilling life where they could meet people who would become their friends and make their contribution to their local community?
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