Focus on Person Centred Planning – Has it passed its sell-by date? Is it just a learning disability thing? Is it a luxury we can't afford?
by Kathi Connick, Associate Trainer
As a trainer and consultant specialising in Person Centred Planning (PCP) and having been amongst the first wave of people in the UK to be trained in PCP facilitation it won't surprise you to hear me answer the questions above with a big, loud "No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!"
But it is not just that I am a PCP fanatic, or that I want to continue to pay my mortgage, it is because time and time again I see PCP being used with people in ways which facilitate positive change in their lives, be that the big things like getting a job, moving into my own house or gaining new skills, or the smaller, but equally important things like helping my staff to learn how to interpret the way I communicate, or letting people know that I like to be called Kathi, not Kath, and I hate avocado!
The evidence base for PCP is huge. The publication by the department of Health of "Valuing People – a new strategy for people with learning disabilities for the 21st Century" and more recently "Valuing People Now" barely let a page go by without mentioning the need for and value of PCP. As the various tools for PCP have been tried and tested again and again, they have been found to be universally applicable, and PCP is now being used in schools, mental health services, older peoples services, EMI and dementia services, as well as being used by staff and managers of health and social care services as well as more mainstream services as a tool for strategic and operational development with great success.
I use PCP in my own life and in the lives of my children, and in fact I used the PCP "PATH" tool to plan my daughter's recent birthday party. So, I suppose the question is: "If it's so blooming brilliant Kathi, then why isn't it being used everywhere and are you still bleating on about it?"
Some of the reluctance to enter into PCP is due to, I think, the perception of the "fluffiness" of it. "Who should be a PCP facilitator?" The answer is "Anyone". "What format should a PCP take?" The answer is "Whatever makes sense. Whilst there are recognised and tested tools, there is no prescribed format". So, if it's anyone's responsibility and it can look like anything there is a danger that no-one will take responsibility and it will remain invisible!
Additionally, as ever, the issues fall largely around resourcing. PCP facilitation is quite a specialist skill and requires ongoing commitment, training, mentoring and support. This can prove to be quite expensive, and often mandatory responsibilities take priority. What needs to be recognised is that investing in PCP can be a thoroughly worthwhile investment as evidence suggests that good PCP builds natural support in people's lives, therefore reducing the burden on "paid for" services.
We also see time and time again examples of PCP reducing crisis in people's lives, therefore reducing the cost implications of reactive services.
Need more evidence of the value of PCP? Care managers like it because it shares the responsibility for co-ordinating that person's life with other people, therefore helping them to meet their statutory responsibility. Families like it for similar reasons. Individuals using PCP feel that they have a voice and a network of people to support them, and also the mechanism to communicate with people around them in ways which make sense and are holistic.
PCP is about life, not just about services. PCP puts the person at the centre of planning their lives. PCP allows people to build on their capacities and independence. So, rather than asking "Is PCP a luxury we can't afford?" I would state that actually it is a basic human right.
© Impact Training 2008
