How can I help someone with their plan?
Support planning
Putting the plan in action
Reviewing the support plan
Changing the plan between reviews
As a carer, your role is pivotal in achieving goals set out in the support plan of an individual. You may be asked to assist with writing an individual's support plan and help decide which solutions are suitable and which are not. Carers are often instrumental in putting support into place, and ensuring the plan delivers the desired outcomes.
Support planning
A support plan needs to answer seven key questions:
- What is important to you?
- What do you want to change or achieve?
- How will you be supported?
- How will you use your personal budget?
- How will your support be managed?
- How will you stay in control of your life?
- What are you going to do to make this happen?
As a carer, you are possibly the person with the most insight into a persons care needs and preferences, apart from the person themselves. You can help them plan their support by discussing the above seven questions, which helps to look at the answer from a few different angles.
Some of the above questions are harder to answer than others, and this varies from person to person. You can look at a few examples of other people's support plans here.
We have also written a guide to help with the planning process. Your social worker or care manager will give you a copy, and you can also download an electronic version below:
- Guide for Individuals and their Carers (easy read) (.pdf, 2.8Mb)
Please note that the files are large and may take longer to download as a result.
Your support broker or care manager can also help interpret questions or suggest possible solutions.
The plan will not be approved by the care manager unless it is has been established that it meets the needs identified in the assessment (using the seven questions above) and that it is:
The
Putting the plan in action
Once the plan has been agreed, you can expect others to carry out the tasks and responsibilities identified in the plan, and your own role is clear to everyone as well. As a carer, you can ensure services and care solutions which are put into place work well and flag up any problems at an early stage. This helps to remedy a situation quickly if necessary. You can get in touch with the council at any time to discuss the care if you have any concerns.
Reviewing the support plan
The support plan will be reviewed after 12 weeks. This is to ensure it meets the identified needs and that all is going well. If you need to raise immediate concerns, you can do this before the review is due. If there are less pressing matters, you can choose to make a note and discuss them at the review meeting.
Support plans are often reviewed on an annual basis, but this can vary from individual to individual. The frequency of the reviews are discussed during the planning stage and included in the plan itself.
Changing the plan between reviews
If a person's needs change before a plan is due to be reviewed, you can ask for a new assessment to take place. For instance, if the person you look after has been in hospital, or their general health has deteriorated and their care no longer meets their needs, we need to look at their support plan again. The care manager will arrange a visit to discuss the situation.
If there are small changes that need to be made to a plan, such as changing the day on which a service is carried out, a new assessment is not necessary. If in doubt about what is and is not a small change, please contact your social worker or care manager who will be able to help.
