Person Centred Planning
Person centred planning is a way of helping people to describe the kind of good life they would like to live and then making a plan for how that can happen.
Where it comes from
John O'Brien describes person centred planning as a "...constellation of tools..." Those most commonly used in the UK are MAP, PATH and Essential Lifestyles Planning but it is important to remember there are more and that good practice should ensure that every person centred plan is unique and designed around what each individual focus person wants and needs from the process.
Most of the ideas come from the USA and Canada and leading thinkers such as Marsha Forest, Judith Snow, John O'Brien, Beth Mount, Connie Lyle O'Brien, Michael Smull, Jack Pearpoint and others. There is an excellent article on "The Origins of Person-Centered Planning" in the book "Implementing Person-Centered Planning - Voices of Experience" edited by Connie Lyle O'Brien and John O'Brien (Inclusion Press, Toronto, 2002).
Personcentredness
Person centred planning should only be used when people want to make changes in their lives. Although it can work for anyone - it is not for everyone all the time. However, many of the planning tools can support good person centred practice by workers in human services. We believe that anyone using human services should expect a service which is person centred at all times.
Moreover, what underpins all person centred working and practice are the values which are held by those applying the ideas. These have been described by Michael Kendrick as "personcentredness". Without these values - person centred planning reduces to a hollow professional technology without a heart.
If you would like to read more about some of these values click on the documents below...
5 Dimensions of Inclusion (pdf)
Themes of Person Centred Work (pdf)
Our friend Heather Simmons has a nice way of explaining the relationships between personcentredness, person centred practice and person centred planning. Click below to open that file