Planning for Care Needs for Disabilities

A Review of Best Practice in Individual
Needs Planning

REPORT AUTHORS:
Leanne Parsons, My Place
Professor Errol Cocks, Curtin University
Monique Williamson, National Disability Services WA

March 2009

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Acknowledgements
The project partners would like to acknowledge the support of the Disability Service
Commission through the 2007 Quality Systems Improvement Grants. The valuable
contributions of Taryn Harvey and Ross Boaden are gratefully acknowledged. We
thank all those individuals who participated by completing a survey. Finally, thank
you to those people who volunteered for the case study component of the project
and provided information through face-to-face interviews.

A Review of Best Practice in Individual Needs Planning

2

CONTENTS
PROJECT SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………………..

4

INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………………… 5
METHODS …………………………………………………………………………………………..

9

INDIVIDUAL NEEDS PLANNING FRAMEWORK ……………………………………………..

11

THEMES……………………………………………………………………………………………..

13

Theme 1: A person centred organisational culture …………………………………………

13

Theme 2: Listening and giving credence to what a person with a disability says ……

17

Theme 3: Respect the natural authority of the person with a disability and the family

20

Theme 4: Continuity of relationship and depth of knowledge of the person ………….. 23
Theme 5: A focus on quality processes and outcomes rather than tools ……………...

25

Theme 6: Identifying real needs ………………………………………………………………..

29

Theme 7: A developmental process, underpinned by high expectations ………………

32

Theme 8: Safeguards …………………………………………………………………………….

36

Theme 9: Leadership …………………………………………………………………………….

38

Theme 10: Flexible approaches ………………………………………………………………..

39

STRATEGIES ………………………………………………………………………………………

41

CONCLUSION ……………………………………………………………………………………..

49

APPENDICES ……………………………………………………………………………………..

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