This document discusses keeping active support, a person-centered approach to supporting individuals with disabilities, as an ongoing way of working. It addresses common challenges in implementing active support, such as treating it as an "add-on" rather than an integral part of support work. The document also discusses measuring whether active support is achieving its goals through tools like the Disability Outcome Standards and collecting feedback from individuals, staff, and organizational audits. Overall, the key message is that actively supporting individuals' belonging, respect, community participation, contributions, and choices must remain an ongoing focus, not just a "check and forget" task.
1. Active Support :
Keeping It Real
Catherine Fraser
&
Margery Pithouse
field â furthering inclusive learning & development
2. We are assuming you all know
what Active Support is
So todayâs focus:
1. How are we going with it?
2. How we keep going (including
measurement)
3. âŠremember that
Active Support is a Person-Centred
Approach
Based on John OâBrienâs
â5 accomplishmentsâ:
1. Belonging
2. Being Respected
3. Sharing Ordinary Places
4. Contributing
5. Choosing
5. How are we going?
Where are you on the journey?
6. (What) (Who)
See Helen Sandersonâs
Donut of Responsibility
7. (The GO Who âŠHelen Sandersonâs Doughnut)
âThe doughnut is a
tool that helps
staff, not only to
see what they
must do (core
responsibilities),
but where they
can try things
(judgement and
creativity) and
what is not their
responsibility.â
www.helensandersonassociates.co.uk/
Helen Sanderson Associates/TLCELP
Created by The Grove Consultants International
8. What have you found?
Feedback from our travels is that
there are a number of challenges
9. The 6 challenges
1. Active Support as an âadd-onâ
2. How?
3. Time
4. Paperwork
5. OH&S + Duty of Care
6. Teamwork + Momentum
10. Challenge 1 : Active Support as an
âadd-onâ
What you can do
What your organization can do
17. âConfidently doing itâ & âSustaining itâ
How to get positive results
Already looked some through
strategies and challengesâŠ
⊠donât stop! Its not check and forget,
itâs an onâgoing WAY of working.
But do we know if we are on the
right track?
18. Am I doing it properly?
There is already a framework for this
(we donât need to make up new things);
the Disability Outcome Standards
Individuality
Capacity
Participation
Citizenship
Leadership
19. Individuality
Each Individual has goals. Wants,
aspirations and support needs, and
makes decisions and choices about
their life.
23. Leadership
Each individual has the opportunity
to inform the way that supports are
provided.
24. Evidence
We can see and feel (anecdotal
evidence)
People are happier & initiating activities
Staff often happier and job satisfaction
higher
Inevitably, you would ASK people.
25. Measuring
What measuring stick would you use?
Organisations are already measuring through
auditing processes
Tools & processes to check if services are
realising (making REAL) their mission
statement
Measuring is ongoing â the âGOâ keeps
going!
26. Who does the measuring?
Measuring is not the job of support
workers â itâs a management
responsibility (HAS donut)
Staff have a hugely important role in âthe
doingâ and,
Staff, with clients themselves, are the
organisationâs eyes and ears on the ground.
Collecting and passing on information in lots of waysâŠ
27. Ways this can happen
Records and notes including team
meeting notes, ISPs etc
Structured Supervision
peer, one-to-one, group etc
Reflective Practice / Self-Reflection
Shadowing Coaching & Mentoring
âŠâŠLearning@work
28. âActive Support Measureâ, Mansell & Elliot 1996
An academic study*
Seductive âlistâ of indicators/items
Danger of tasks that can be ticked-off
Importance of the 2nd bit â rating engagement
Qualifications to do so
Identification of barriers & strategies
Our âChallengesâ eg âover emphasis on record
keepingâ
Strategies eg shared values and valuing;
supervision, mentoring, coaching, team building &
communication etc
*âEngagement in meaningful activity and âactive supportâ of people with intellectual disabilities in residential careâ,
Mansell et al, Tizard Centre, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK, 2002
29. âpermissionââŠ
confidenceâŠ
mutual respect
What you can do ⊠mindset
Direct Disability Support Work
âŠthe âinterfaceâ for Active Support
Person with a disability
Service
inputs > experience > outcomes
30. âGOâ, field â furthering inclusive learning and development, 2010.
âThe Doughnutâ, Helen Sanderson Associates, www.helensandersonassociates.co.uk
31. Looking furtherâŠ
www.field.org.au
Learning@work
Case Studies
www.helensandersonassociates.co.uk
www.kent.ac.uk/tizard/active/index.html