MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION
In this module you will learn about Person Centred Active Support:
- where it comes from and why it was developed
- how using this approach improves the quality of life of people with intellectual disability
- how it helps you to put the aims of disability policy into practice.
This video talk is an introduction to Person Centred Active Support.
What is Person Centred Active Support?
Person Centred Active Support is one of a number of person centred approaches that include person centred planning, person centred thinking and positive behaviour support.
Person Centred Active Support originated in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. At this time, disengagement of people with intellectual disability was a major problem. In many services people spent most of their day doing nothing – disengaged – waiting for something to happen. Professor Jim Mansell and Dr Julie Beadle-Brown developed Person Centred Active Support to address this problem.
Person Centred Active Support is a way of providing just the right amount of assistance, to enable a person with intellectual disability to successfully take part in meaningful activities and social relationships. Support workers can use Person Centred Active Support with everyone, regardless of their degree of intellectual or physical impairment.
Support workers who use Person Centred Active Support see that every moment has potential for a person to be engaged. They provide little amounts of assistance often. They provide just enough assistance of the right kind, to enable a person to succeed in doing all, or part of a task. They provide opportunities for people to exercise choice and control over many aspects of their lives. These concepts will be explored in greater detail as you move through this resource.
Person Centred Active Support is based on evidence that:
Person Centred Active Support is not something that you schedule for set times, or with particular people. It is a way of working that you can apply at all times, with all people.
Person Centred Active Support originated in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. At this time, disengagement of people with intellectual disability was a major problem. In many services people spent most of their day doing nothing – disengaged – waiting for something to happen. Professor Jim Mansell and Dr Julie Beadle-Brown developed Person Centred Active Support to address this problem.
Person Centred Active Support is a way of providing just the right amount of assistance, to enable a person with intellectual disability to successfully take part in meaningful activities and social relationships. Support workers can use Person Centred Active Support with everyone, regardless of their degree of intellectual or physical impairment.
Support workers who use Person Centred Active Support see that every moment has potential for a person to be engaged. They provide little amounts of assistance often. They provide just enough assistance of the right kind, to enable a person to succeed in doing all, or part of a task. They provide opportunities for people to exercise choice and control over many aspects of their lives. These concepts will be explored in greater detail as you move through this resource.
Person Centred Active Support is based on evidence that:
- Engagement in activities and social relationships improves people's quality of life.
- Personal development is only possible when people participate in activities that broaden their experiences.
- Social relationships and inclusion depend on interacting with other people.
- Physical health depends on lifestyle and activity.
- Greater engagement, choice and control can lead to decreases in challenging behaviours.
Person Centred Active Support is not something that you schedule for set times, or with particular people. It is a way of working that you can apply at all times, with all people.
How does Person Centred Active Support Improve Quality of Life?
Most people with intellectual disability receive support though a broad range of services and programs. The quality of life for each person supported depends on how they are engaged and their access to opportunities to participate in meaningful activities and relationships.
The quality of support you provide is critical to the quality of life of people with intellectual disability. This is particularly the case for people with severe and profound intellectual disability who need greater support to exercise their rights.
Person Centred Active Support is an approach that assists you to support all people with intellectual disability to have quality of life. People with severe and profound intellectual disability can participate and enjoy activities. They can express likes and dislikes, and have friends and acquaintances. But they need support from you or their family to:
Opportunities for people to be engaged and exercise choice depend on:
The quality of support you provide is critical to the quality of life of people with intellectual disability. This is particularly the case for people with severe and profound intellectual disability who need greater support to exercise their rights.
Person Centred Active Support is an approach that assists you to support all people with intellectual disability to have quality of life. People with severe and profound intellectual disability can participate and enjoy activities. They can express likes and dislikes, and have friends and acquaintances. But they need support from you or their family to:
- help them communicate
- identify their preferences
- generate opportunities for new experiences
- engage in meaningful activities and relationships.
Opportunities for people to be engaged and exercise choice depend on:
- how you support people in every moment of their day
- how you communicate and interact
- what you say and do.
Person Centred Active Support enables people with intellectual disability to exercise choice and control, and engage in meaningful activities and social relationships.
How does Person Centred Active Support turn Policy into Practice?
Disability support services aim to improve the lives of people with intellectual disability and put disability policies into practice. As a support worker you play an important role in achieving these aims. Australian disability policy has a human rights perspective. It recognises that people with intellectual disability have the right to be included in society and to a quality of life similar to other people in the community.
Key principles in Australian and International Disability Policy are:
The use of Person Centred Active Support is one way of putting these principles into practice, and turning ideals into action.
Key principles in Australian and International Disability Policy are:
- respect for dignity
- choice and control
- independence
- full and effective participation and inclusion in society
- respect for difference and
- acceptance of people with disability as part of human diversity and humanity.
The use of Person Centred Active Support is one way of putting these principles into practice, and turning ideals into action.
ACTIVITY 1
The following video shows examples of people with intellectual disability exercising choice, participating in a meaningful activity in their community, participating in their household, exercising autonomy, being treated with respect, and being in a social relationship with people other than a support worker.
Watch the video and then do the following activities. Write in the downloadable workbook, located in the Resources section.
- As you watch the video, make a list of the activities you see people involved in.
- Then consider which of the following headings these activities fall under: social interaction, hobbies/interests, household tasks etc.
- What do you notice about each person when they are engaged in these activities?
- Thinking about your own work, can you recall seeing a person with intellectual disability being treated in a disrespectful way? Describe what happened. What did you think about this?
- In your own words, write down how you think Person Centred Active Support improves quality of life.
If you have any questions about this module, or would like some further guidance about the activities, you can send an enquiry using the Contact Form.
SUMMARY MODULE 1
Person Centred Active Support is an evidence based approach to supporting people with intellectual disability that:
- guides you in providing the right amount of support for people with intellectual disability to be engaged in meaningful activities and social relationships
- improves the quality of life of people with intellectual disability
- assists you to put the human rights principles of disability policy into practice.
