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Person Centred Approaches
Person Centred Approaches began with a search for better ways to include people with disabilities in the society. Person Centred Approaches are:
- focused on the individual and the people who love them
- person led, not service led
- rooted in respect for the individual and a belief that they belong in a community of their chosing
- a way of encouraging people around the individual to learn together
- a way of developing a shared vision of the future with the individual
Are Person Centred Approaches for you and your family?
If you have ever felt that you or someone in your family is treated as a case, not as an individual with a life to live, then yes, they are.
People are not cases. People are individuals with personalities, dreams, aspirations, needs and preferences, no matter if they are a stay at home mum, a single dad, a successful professional or a child with a learning disability.
Person Centred Approaches proved to be a very effective way of shaping the relationship between people with learning disabilities, the professionals and the society.
If you have a child with special needs and you are going through assessment, statement or review process, then Person Centred Approaches can help you get the best results for your child and make sure that the process has your child's best interest at heart.
How do Person Centred Approaches work?
They create a framework which helps you as an individual or you as a family to think through whether you are happy in your life or what would make you more happy.
Person Centred Approaches allow professionals who work with you to identify your needs and provide support in a way that respects the things that are important to you.
Person Centred Approaches are not a magic wand and they will not make your life perfect by the click of the fingers.
But they will let you communicate your needs better, negotiate solutions in a more assertive way and will lead to better outcomes for you and your family.
What are the key messages of Person Centred Approaches?
- Respect for individual
- Listening to people
- Positive action based on open communication
- Being genuinely equal partners in the process of creating solutions
Person Centred Planning is about:
- putting an individual at the centre of the planning proces
- making sure that the individual and those who know and love them are involved
- positive, meaningful outcomes
The most important aspect of Person Centred Planning is that the child and the family are involved in the planning process. The aim of that process is to create a plan which is working from the perspective of the child and the family.
Person Centred Plans can be used in different contexts: family life, support during activities, support at school or support and care in residential setting.
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