Person-Centred Planning (PCP) emerged from the disability rights movement of the 1980s (O’Brien & O’Brien, 1988) as a method of enabling individuals to shape their own lives. It emphasises co-production, choice, and respect for individual voice. PCP shifts the power dynamic between professional and service user by ensuring decisions are made “with” rather than “for” individuals (Sanderson & Lewis, 2012).
As an inclusive intervention, PCP tackles multiple barriers to learning and participation:
- Attitudinal barriers: by challenging deficit-based perceptions of ability;
- Organisational barriers: by restructuring planning around individual needs;
- Communication barriers: through accessible, participatory dialogue; and
- Social barriers: by promoting autonomy and connection within communities.
Research has shown that PCP enhances autonomy, wellbeing, and engagement (Symonds, Brown & Black, 2020; Bavelaar, Mulder & Verbeek, 2023). It promotes inclusion by integrating personal goals into service planning and by aligning professional practice with individual aspirations.
However, its success depends on practitioners’ beliefs, training, and organisational culture. The Supporting Effective Teaching (SET) Project (Jordan et al., 2010) found that educators’ and carers’ beliefs about ability directly influence their use of inclusive strategies. Staff who viewed ability as dynamic were more likely to employ person-centred and adaptive approaches. This finding is crucial, as discriminatory attitudes remain a key barrier to inclusion within UK care settings.