Friday 2 May 2014

Story Forty Eight - Person Centred Plan

It was September 2010. The fake transition home plan had been cancelled. The third DoL had been authorised. The council were receiving several tenders for the provision of Steven's ongoing care. One day the social worker announced: "Steven needs a person centred plan". She described the process to me and said that the first thing we needed to do was to get Steven to come up with a wish list - the things he wanted to do with his life.

So, one day we all gathered at the Unit - Steven, me, two support workers, the social worker and the manager and deputy manager of the Unit. The manager took the lead and asked Steven all the questions but Steven directed all his answers to me. It was deeply uncomfortable. Steven was getting quite excited at the prospect of being asked about the things he really wanted to do. I could see withing five minutes where it was heading and wanted to put him out of his agony.

Steven came up with six things for his wish list:

"Want to live in the Uxbridge house with Mark Neary"
"Want to go on holiday"
"Want to open presents on Christmas Day in the Uxbridge house"
"Want to see Toy Story 3 at the cinema"
"Want to go to Hampton outside swimming pool"
"Want to have sausage and bacon in Ali's bacon shop"

All six things on his list were rejected by the social care team. The first two had already been long refused. Christmas Day was out because they hoped to have agreed their tenders by then and couldn't promise where Steven would be on Christmas Day. The cinema was a no-no as it was too risky. Ditto the swimming pool. And the bacon shop didn't fit in with their healthy eating plan. And besides none of the venues for the last three had been risk assessed.

They never told Steven all six had been refused, so for weeks after, I had to deal with his questions about when he would be having his bacon sandwich.

I guess Carl Rogers was spinning in his grave.

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