Person Centred Planning Group

The membership of the Person Centred Planning Group consists of people who use Fair Deal's services and support, parents and carers, support workers and Board members, with the Director, Operations Manager and a Service Manager in attendance. It meets quarterly and is unique in that it is the only group with such diverse membership that reports directly to the Board.
The purpose of the group is to ensure that providing person centred support is core to Fair Deal and that they are not diverted or distracted from this key principle which underpins their work.
The focus is maintained by the regular monitoring and reviewing of engagement in areas such as staff training, the understanding of the principles of person centredness and the implementation of support plans.
In addition activity undertaken has been the Having Your Say questionnaire and staff recruitment methods which maximises involvement of people who use support and feedback on the impact of that support on their life. This is to make sure that Fair Deal are getting it right for the people they support. 
Any matter about support activity and the impact for people and other matters affecting the lives of people being supported or the workings of the organisation can be addressed and discussed openly. Although the topics are serious the atmosphere of the group is informal, which results in lively discussion and the participation of the whole group.
This approach allows input from and feedback to not only the board but also people who use the service, parents and carers, and staff groups and encourages contributions and communication throughout the organisation.