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Behaviour Support Plan. Positive Handling Plan. Support and Intervention Plan. Individual Care Plan. Individual Support Plan. With so many different potential names, it’s hardly surprising there are misconceptions surrounding what an Individual Support Plan could or should look like in schools and health and social care settings.
Before we explore what to include in a plan of this nature, it’s important to clarify what we mean by an Individual Support Plan, to ensure a shared understanding of its purpose.
Download our editable Individual Support Plan template and guidance.
Put simply, an Individual Support Plan is a simple, succinct and manageable working document that gives us information about an individual. It allows us to predict and prevent potential scenarios, by providing background and context around those in our care.
It does not need to include every last detail, such as emergency contact numbers, medical reports, external agency reviews and so on; instead, it is a snapshot of an individual, offering insights into key strategies that we can use to support them effectively.
As a pivotal working document, it should be readily available to anyone involved in the care of the child, young person, or adult. That way, the relevant people and professionals can equip themselves with the knowledge and understanding they need to offer timely, appropriate support. Key staff members should have full ownership of the document, ensuring that the content is reviewed and updated regularly.
While the name of the document may vary, and the contents might differ depending on the nature of our organisations, there are some key areas we can consider when creating an effective Individual Support Plan.
This is a short summary of the individual, including things like their likes and dislikes, what they are good at, things they struggle with, and how they like to communicate.
These insights enable us to make connections with the child, young person, or adult, and identify ways to engage with them and develop trust. If an individual likes trains, for example, we could use this as a conversation starter to open up further dialogue and get to know them better.
Triggers include things that the individual finds difficult to cope with, and that can cause heightened arousal and behaviours of concern. It could, for example, be a certain noise, a particular environment, or a specific person. It may be that making certain demands on the individual causes them to feel increasingly stressed and anxious.
If we are aware of a person’s triggers, we can pre-empt these, plan for them, and make appropriate adaptations where necessary when offering support.
It’s important to understand what the behaviour of the individual can look and sound like
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