Person-Centered Planning

Person-centered reviews as a mechanism for planning the post-school transition of young people with intellectual disability

Our study examined the application of person-centered planning during the transition for young people with intellectual disabilities. We investigated the nature and content of 44 person-centered reviews of transition planning for this population in a local authority in the UK. We carried out a documentary analysis of all person-centered plans and conducted telephone interviews with all families participating in the program. We focused on the issue of attendance at review meetings and what was discussed during the sessions. Analysis of the data shows an increase in the participation of young people and carers at review meetings and a significant shift in topics discussed during the transition planning process compared with previous programs. However, some of these effects may dissipate once young people are actually leaving school, as planning well is not synonymous with having an improved range of placement options. The findings suggest that person-centered planning can impact positively on some aspects of transition planning, while it may be too optimistic to expect radical improvement in other areas. Key to further improvements is to complement person-centered planning with consistent involvement of all relevant stakeholders in planning for individuals.

Kaehne, A., & Beyer, S. “Person-centered reviews as a mechanism for planning the post-school transition of young people with intellectual disability.” Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 58, no.7 (2014): 603-613.