Life Plan for Commissioners
A Life Plan is one of the most important planning documents that any commissioner needs to get the right housing and support for a person so that they lead a good life. The reason it is one of the most important planning document is it has everything within it and it is all developed and captured with the views of the person and the other people (family, friends and professionals) that know the person best. It is in essence a person-centred ‘service specification’ that is developed using person centred planning principles.
For commissioners in Councils, Integrated Care Systems or Provider Collaboratives, the advantages of having a Life Plan to secure the right housing and support for a person may not always show the strategic benefits, but where commissioners are invested in the approach as a foundation to commission from, they are routinely seeing less restrictive support being commissioned.
By learning from the person’s life so far and their history, capturing their hopes & dreams, talents, strengths, skills, hobbies and interests a plan can be put in place that both takes into consideration and provides solutions for the most ‘challenging’ of situations they might encounter and ultimately keeping them healthy and safe and valued as a citizen. A Life Plan will also provide a springboard to a fulfilling life for the person.
Sometimes when plans are written for people by professionals who have little knowledge of the person, they do not involve people that know them well, they use historical information not ratified by the person, and the plan does not express views that the person and those who know them best necessarily agree with. Traditional discharge or moving on plans can be drawn to concentrate on the person’s ‘behaviours’ and failures and in doing so miss their strengths, resilience and support networks. The Life Planning captures these but they are framed the context of what the person has and needs around them to stay safe and well. A plan based on negatives will fail to understand the whole person and any ‘service’ is likely to fail in the long term. Families were often struggling and finding solutions long before services became involved and these stories can really influence professional thinking about what is possible.
The Life Plan recognises people’s Human Rights under the Human Rights Act (1998) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) as the core legislative framework for people to have a say over their life. In addition it is aligned to the 7 Keys to Citizenship in recognition of the individuality of citizens and the wishes and needs we all have.
You can read more about your involvement as a commissioner in a Life Planning Day here.