The Introduction of person-centred planning in an Irish agency for people with intellectual disabilities: An introductory study

With a change to community-based services for adults with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, programs are increasingly planned so as to achieve preferred outcomes for individuals in employment as well as other domains of everyday living. This paper documents the introduction of person-centred planning in a community-based agency serving people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland. Committed to the extension of Supported Employment and to local options for service users, the authors and their colleagues reviewed the key elements of a futures planning process. Direct-care staff completed questionnaires relating to the outcomes of planning for sixteen service users. The findings affirm the importance of work outcomes for individuals. Recommendations are made for individualised training for those taking part in person-centred planning, for the inclusion of allies in the community who are not paid members of staff and for recognition of the demands placed on members of staff during periods of transition in service agencies.