Person-Centred Planning (PCP) emerged from the disability rights movement of the 1980s (O’Brien & O’Brien, 1988, pp. 12–14) as a method for enabling individuals to shape their own lives.
By shifting the power dynamic between professional and service user, PCP ensures decisions are made with, rather than for individuals (Amundsen, 2024). PCP addresses multiple barriers:
- Attitudinal, by challenging deficit-based assumptions;
- Organisational, by restructuring support around the individual;
- Communication, through accessible dialogue; and social, by fostering autonomy and belonging.
Research demonstrates that PCP enhances engagement, autonomy, and well-being (Symonds, Brown & Black, 2020, p.128; Bavelaar, Mulder & Verbeek, 2023, p.71). Yet, as the SET Project highlights (Jordan et al., 2010, p.89), its success depends on practitioner belief systems and organisational culture, linking effective inclusion to leadership and reflective practice.
Reflective leadership is central to embedding PCP in practice. By critically examining assumptions and modelling adaptive decision-making (Zhang & Zhao, 2024), leaders create conditions for relational agency (Shotter, 2021; Edwards, 2005), enabling practitioners to collaboratively negotiate understanding, share expertise, and co-construct learning opportunities with learners. In my practice, engaging staff in reflective dialogue (Papadakis et al., 2024) has strengthened their capacity to view learners as active co-authors of their learning plans, fostering both empowerment and accountability. PCP operationalises these principles, situating inclusion within a relational, dynamic, and evidence-informed framework.
Measurable indicators such as engagement, satisfaction, and learner empowerment (Forlin et al., 2015, pp. 197–211) shift the focus from procedural compliance to lived experiences…….?