Facilitation and Planning

Person-Directed Planning and Facilitation is a process that encourages a community-based network of supports for people with a developmental disability, including community resources, as well as available government-funded supports. The essence of person-directed planning and facilitation is to support persons with varying abilities to exercise their rights, to express their choices and have their decisions respected throughout the entire process.

Becky’s Story

Person-Directed Planning and Facilitation works best to improve people’s lives when it is based on a strong set of core values rooted in the concepts of:

Self-Determination

Empowerment

Choice and Control

Inclusion

Citizenship

Accountability

Person-Centred Planning/Person-Directed Planning are terms that are connected and linked to one another through history and practice. It is important to note the importance of person-centred planning work as a foundation for what has been more recently referred to in Ontario as person-directed planning.

Person-Centred Planning is a process of continual listening, and learning; focus on what is important to someone now, and for the future, and acting upon this in alliance with their family and friends.

There are five key features of Person Centred Planning:

1. The person is at the centre.

2. Family members and friends are partners in planning.

3. The plan reflects what is important to the person, their capacities and what support they require.

4. The plan results in actions that are about life, not just services, and reflect what is possible, not just what is available.

5. The plan results in ongoing listening, learning, and further action.

Important reminders about Person-Directed Planning and Facilitation

Person-directed planning and facilitation is an ONGOING process. It does not end once a written plan is developed.

Person-directed planning and facilitation is a process that can be carried out throughout someone’s life. The intensity of the planning will vary depending on the needs of the person.

Person-directed planning and facilitation is about creating and implementing a blueprint for future action: the main focus is on the nature and quality of the planning process and not solely on the resulting written plan.

Benefits of the Person Directed Plan:

• Recognizes and supports individual communication styles

• Supports people to have better lives

• Reduces barriers limiting access to employment & volunteer opportunities

• Helps to establish new friendships and links with community resources

• Provides a service plan designed to enhance the development of each person

• Empowers personal decision making

• Provides the agency with up to date information on service direction

Accountability:

• Monitoring plans continuously to ensure goals are being met

• Ensuring the agency(s) are providing services

• Promoting consistency by using similar person-centred approaches across the agency