Who would want a Person Centered
Plan for themselves or for a legal dependant of theirs?
Anyone and everyone can benefit by having their own plan. Each life has several
transition periods, and when those transitions come, many new challenges are
introduced into all of our lives.
A plan is a team effort working to reach a common goal. A PCP
plan can be compared to a recipe…you can have many ingredients
that must be added at a prescribed time in a prescribed manner
to achieve the finished product desired.
In order for a recipe to be successful:
- It must have the element of desirability for the one that will
be enjoying its finished result.
- It must be a plan.
- It must have various ingredients included that each has a purpose
in the plan. One ingredient does not make a recipe successful.
- It must be followed through with cooking actions that will
insure its prescribed success.
- It will be judged for its finished result and decided if it
is worth sharing with someone you love.
Person Centered Planning has proven to be an effective tool in
mapping out a plan of action and supports for an individual in
order to succeed in life decisions, dreams, and life needs. A plan
can help to simplify the thought processes and then the follow
through on the actions and the supports processes.
Why would individuals with Developmental Disabilities
use PCP?
The expression, "It takes a village to raise a child," is
never truer than when talking about a child with a disability. People
with disabilities need a support system that recognizes their individual
strengths, interests, fears, and dreams and allows them to take
charge of their future. Parents, teachers, family members, and
friends in the community who offer informal guidance, support,
and love can create the "village" for every child.
Yet when individuals with disabilities are preparing to make the
transition from dependency to a life of independence, their "village" may
be forgotten in the rush to secure new services from programs and
systems that provide support for individuals with disabilities.
Use of the person-centered planning process for the individuals
with disabilities as they go through transition can unite formal
and informal systems of support. By combining resources and working
intentionally toward a common goal, families and professionals
can achieve more positive outcomes for these individuals, while
at the same time putting long-term community supports in place. |
