Person Centred Planning (PCP)
PCP is a collection of tools and approaches, based upon a set of shared values, which can be employed to effectively plan with a child/young person, rather than for them.
PCP tools assist the child/young person to consider what is important to them at the present time, encourage them to think about what would constitute a successful future, and to actively identify the support they require to achieve this future.
A person-centred approach helps to develop the child/young person’s circle of support by involving all the people who are important in that child/young person's life, including parents/carers, and professionals working with them.
There is no single method of working; it is more a collective of approaches and styles, making it more difficult to define.
Adopting a person-centred approach is a way of giving the child or young person at the centre of a plan a voice and a say in what actually happens to them. Individual professionals have expertise and knowledge and know what is ‘important for’ a child but a successful plan needs to be balanced to reflect what is ‘important to’ the child also.
There are five key principles of Person-Centred Planning:
- The person is at the centre
- Family members and friends are partners in planning
- The plan reflects what is important to the person now (and for the future) their capacities and what support they require
- The plan helps build the person’s place in the community and helps the community to welcome them. It is not just about services, and reflects what is possible, not just what is available
- The plan results in on-going listening, learning, and further action.
What is a One Page Profile?
A One Page Profile captures all the important information about a person on a single sheet of paper under three simple headings: what people like and admire about me, what’s important to me and how best to support me.
How can they help us to support people better?
One Page Profiles are easy to develop and help us to support people better by:
- Helping us build better relationships by truly understanding what really matters to the person in their life and the way they are supported to live it
- Providing a record that can move with the person as they transition
- Being regularly updated to reflect people’s changing circumstances and aspirations
What is a Person-Centred Review?
A Person-Centred Review uses person-centred thinking tools to explore what is happening from the person’s perspective and from other people’s perspectives.
This results in outcomes and actions for person-centred change, and ensures that a range of people are involved when the review is happening, and that their views and ideas are recorded in a structured, step-by-step way by:
- Making sure that we’re truly taking into account the experiences of the person, their family and those supporting them when reviewing how well things are going
- Creating an environment where people are made to feel comfortable in expressing themselves honestly
- Developing actions that are based on experiences and learning, leading to an environment where we’re constantly improving our support.