Review: Personalisation in Practice: Supporting Young People with Disabilities through the Transition to Adulthood

Essential guide to person-centred planning

This book provides essential information for families and professionals to help them support young disabled people to make the most of the personalisation agenda, and gain more choice and control over their lives.

Person-centred planning is a key part of this process and has been around for some time, so the techniques used in the book will be familiar to many. But where this book is refreshing is that it humanises the subject as we follow the story of Jennie, a young person with autism, through the eyes of Suzie, her capable and determined mother, and her family.

We start to find out about Jennie's life from the age of 13 and follow her through education, then as she transitions into adulthood. We leave her as she starts to live independently and begins to enjoy life in her local area.

Examples of plans and tools are given alongside each stage of her development to demonstrate how each of these supported Jennie and her family to achieve their goals. Chapters on personal budgets, finding Jennie a place to live and recruiting and training the right staff in particular are extremely informative and useful.

The book is also packed with references to more in-depth information about each technique, and signposts the reader as to how and when these could be used to best effect.

Jennie and Suzie are fortunate in that they worked alongside professionals from Helen Sanderson Associates, a consultancy team that specialises in person-centred thinking and planning, on their journey. Other families facing similar challenges in the changing world of special educational needs and disability do not have that privilege.

Therefore more in-depth information about gaining commitment for circles of support, from professionals and engaging local commissioners would have been useful in the book, as these are critical factors for families and professionals if we are to make personalisation work.

But overall, for practitioners in the sector, disabled people and their families, this book is a great resource, demonstrating good practice and useful tips and tools to make personalisation a reality for many more people.

As Suzie says: "Supporting Jennie to move in to her own home and setting up her team has not been easy. But, if we can do it, I hope other families can be inspired by what we have achieved." Was I inspired? Yes! Would I recommend this book? Absolutely!

Maria Chambers, executive principal at disability charity Scope, which runs specialist schools and colleges

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