Our Person Centred Approach and Active Support

What is a Person Centred Approach?

Just as the phrase “person centred” suggests, a Person Centred Approach is about ensuring someone with a disability is at the centre of decisions which relate to their life.

A person centred process involves listening, thinking together, coaching, sharing ideas, and seeking feedback. This process is ongoing to make sure each person is supported towards their personal goals, even as they evolve and change.

The ultimate aim is to understand what each individual person wants and needs to live their own, personally defined, good life.

It is most successful when friends and family can support the process, and help identify and develop the person’s strengths.

We make sure we have a person centred approach across all our services at Aruma. Our customers, their families, and carers choose when and how they receive support, and by whom it’s provided.

When we are working with someone, we always keep their strengths and interests, their communication preference, and who people they would like to involve, top of mind.

What is Active Support?

Person Centred Active Support is a way of providing someone with a disability just the right amount of support. Not too much and not too little.

Active Support empowers people with a disability to do things for themselves when possible, rather than a staff member doing it on their behalf.

Support staff also make sure they customise their supports for each individual based on their needs. For example, if someone does not need support with feeding, following Active Support, support staff would empower the person with a disability to do this for themselves.

It’s about people with a disability controlling their lives, making choices, and taking part.

Active Support in action

In a house in Victoria, Active Support begins the moment our six customers get up in the morning. They  begin by choosing their clothes and what they want for breakfast.

The six ladies then take turns making lunches for the day, picking veggies from the garden, and collecting eggs from the resident chooks.

Our staff provide just the right amount of support to help these customers life the life they want to live.

Each week, each of the ladies goes along for the weekly shop, and there are regular trips out to places like the local library, playing on a bowls team, or even helping out at a local craft shop.

“These ladies deserve the same rights we all have,” says Gail our Support Worker. “We just love to see them achieve their goals – especially when they experience something new they really wanted to have a go at.”

Watch Heather’s Active Support story

Heather used to be a very shy and quiet young lady, but through Active support she is developing the confidence to do things for herself and make her own choices.