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Person-centred approaches
The essence of being person-centred is that it is individual to, and owned by, the person being supported.
There is no single approach that can be applied to working with someone in a person-centred way, and no methodology that exclusively covers all of the process that may be needed in developing a person-centred plan.
Current developments in person-centred approaches should also consider the implications of self-directed support, and planning with people to develop the support plans for their individual budgets.
- For more information on person-centred approaches, visit the Valuing People website.
Legislation
Following consultation, 'Valuing People Now: A New Three-Year Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities' was published in January 2009. 'Valuing People Now' brings the 2001 white paper 'Valuing People' up to date, and sets out the government's plans for learning disability services in England until 2011.
- Read Valuing People Now and download a Valuing People Now resource pack from the Department of Health website.
- Guidance on implementing person-centred plans is available on the Valuing People website.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides legal support to what was once good practice. The MCA talks not just about capacity but about how to make ‘best interests' decisions for people who lack capacity, and much of the methodology referred to adopts a person-centred approach.
The inspection and regulation of services should also be carried out in a person-centred way. For more information about the appropriate regulators, please see our standards of care page.
Current debates
Current debate around person centred approaches focuses on the use of self directed support and the personalisation agenda to provide services that are tailored to individual needs. For more information, please see our personalisation pages.
Research
Much research has been completed around the effectiveness and use of person centred planning including:
- The Impact of Person Centred Planning (PDF) by Emerson et al (2005)
- Person-centred planning in social care - A scoping review (PDF) by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2006)
Good practice
Person-centred approaches are a core element of all good practice, and should be integral in all delivery of care and support. This practice should extend across all of adult social care, including commissioning. Recent examples of this are to be seen in services where self-directed support is the mechanism for the commissioning and funding of the service.
In the further resources box at the bottom of this page are links to organisations that are currently leading on good practice around person-centred approaches.
Mencap's services - how we use person-centred approaches
As an organisation dedicated to supporting people to develop their lives and fulfil their ambitions we have identified and used a number of helpful tools to make the planning aspect of people's lives easier.
All our staff are trained in person-centred approaches. We have developed working processes that ensure that we have consulted the individual about their wants and needs, so that the support we provide is meeting these needs.
Where people have complex needs and profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) we have other tools and methods for consultation so that our services can still be centred around their needs. We have appropriately trained staff, and provide the right tools and technical equipment to facilitate this. An example is our use of multi media profiling.
