Person-Centered Planning

Description of the Strategy

Person-centered planning (PCP) is a term used to describe an approach utilized to assist individuals in planning for their futures. The goal of PCP is to aid an individual in developing meaningful life goals based on his or her strengths and talents, utilizing individual, natural, and creative supports and services.

PCP is a process for defining the life a person wishes to live and then describing what needs to be accomplished to assist that person in moving toward that life. It is rooted in values, goals, and outcomes important to the person but takes into account other critical factors that have an impact on his or her life, for example, family and agency views, a person's disability, funding, and community supports.

PCP has developed and evolved as practitioners worked with individuals with different types of disabilities to improve the quality of their lives. Although there are various approaches to PCP, they share the following characteristics:

• 1.
  They view the individual as a person first, rather than as a diagnosis, behavior problem, or disability.
• 2.
  They use everyday language, pictures, and symbols, rather than professional jargon.
• 3.
  Planning centers around defining each person's unique strengths, interests, and capacities within the context of living in the community.
• 4.
  The process gives strength to the voices of the people and those who know them most intimately in accounting for their histories, evaluating their present conditions in terms of valued experiences, and defining desirable changes in their lives.

PCP is not a single technique, but a term used to describe a collection of techniques, each with its own defining features and distinct history. These techniques were developed out of a community of practice in the early 1970s to mid-1980s by North Americans who were applying the principle of normalization to improve services to people with developmental disabilities. By the late 1970s, the work in this arena had spread to Britain, thus developing into a transatlantic movement in the field of developmental disabilities. The term person-centered planning was commonly used by 1985, and within the next decade, 12 distinct approaches had been identified. Common PCP approaches used today include Making Action Plans, known as MAPS, Personal Profiling, Group Action Planning, known as GAP, Personal Futures Planning, Essential Lifestyle Planning, and Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope, known as PATH.

PCP is a collaborative activity whereby a group of relevant people are brought together to meet with an individual. The group or team usually comprises family members, friends, teachers, community members, and agency personnel who are interested in, knowledgeable of, and committed to the well-being of this individual. The team meets at least once, but preferably on an asneeded basis, to gain a better understanding of the individual, build relationships and trust with the individual, and create plans with the individual for his or her future. They examine the individual's past, present, and future, focusing on the individual's strengths and interests. Through the use of a group facilitator and graphic displays (usually words, pictures, and symbols recorded on flip chart pads), an individual is encouraged to describe the kind of life he or she wants to live. The process permits the team to understand the past life of the individual, see the individual's current life, and envision an improved life for the individual's future. A final outcome is a comprehensive plan for the individual's future that outlines short-term and long-term goals, necessary supports and services, and identified roles for the individual team members.

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