Work together to plan for goal-oriented action
Educators represent the largest and most knowledgeable resource in programming for the needs of students. The quality of their relationship with parents/carers and community agencies plays a large part in the overall outcomes for students.
(Mitchell et al., 2010, p. 36)
At universal, targeted and individual levels, the plan’s purpose is clarified with the team and includes actions that will meet achievable short- and long-term goals, based on agreed outcomes.
The team agrees to the approach to take.
- Roles and responsibilities are agreed with all team members as part of planning.
- Options for any interventions are discussed within the team, and take into consideration the environment, resources and capacity of those implementing the intervention.
- The plan is designed to be flexible and responsive to any changing needs and circumstances that might affect the mokopuna and whānau.
- Long-term goals focus on developing the skills of people or the contextual supports around the mokopuna.
- The team considers strengthening capability in the setting to ensure the plan continues to be followed once the team is no longer involved.
Within individualised planning, the Learning Support Delivery Model emphasises having a single plan that is the primary reference for the mokopuna, whānau, educators and practitioners.
A single plan is intended to reduce the need for whānau to have to tell their story over and over to different schools, teachers, practitioners and agencies. The plan is a clear record of:
- What needs to change in the life of the mokopuna and why?
- What will be done to achieve the changes, by who, and when?
Person-centred planning
A person-centred plan emphasises:
- whānau and community participation
- meaningful social relationships
- more opportunities for choice
- the creation of valued roles respected by others
- ongoing development of personal competencies.
The person-centred plan aims to support positive engagement and enhance well-being. Throughout the process, you must act with respect to the kawa and tikanga that is important to mokopuna, whānau and the education setting.
Intervention plans should be viewed as working documents that can support monitoring of progress and can be adjusted over time to meet changing needs. The plan should be recorded so all team members can access, understand and action it. The plan should be regularly reviewed by the team, working together. The team should agree the frequency of reviews, based on the needs of the mokopuna and whānau, and the plan’s content.
Top tips
For an effective plan
- All team members should know the plan. If any team member is unsure about the plan, it may need to be reviewed – by the team as a whole.
- Plans need to be relevant, aspirational and achievable.
- A good plan should aim for sustainable change for the mokopuna, whānau and educators.
Planning for challenging behaviour
Occasionally the serious behaviour of a mokopuna can challenge their education setting and present a risk to themselves or others. Practitioners can use their specialist skills and knowledge to support the setting, mokopuna and whānau to assess the level of risk and develop a risk management plan.
- Risk assessment and management aims to provide education settings with systematic, structured and timely processes to help address uncertainty and aid decision-making in a transparent and collaborative process.
- As a first step, an interim safety and risk management plan is needed to support the mokopuna and promote preventative and proactive responses.
- The plan will need clear actions that are written and recorded so progress can be reviewed.
- An interim plan does not replace the need for further detailed information-gathering, sense-making and ongoing support. It is a short-term, temporary measure to minimise immediate risk.
Examples of goal-oriented action from practice
1
An Outcome Measurement Tool (OMT) was a useful way for a practitioner to structure a discussion about the observations and evidence collected by members of the team, and how they related to the goals and aspirations of the mokopuna and whānau. The process included the voice of the mokopuna, and the observations of the educator and whānau. The team could acknowledge that the mokopuna had a lack of confidence in their literacy skills and needed more time to process information. This had impacted on the participation of the mokopuna and their progress and achievement in lessons – understanding which shaped the initial plan.
2
Within a Routines Based Interview, the whānau had the opportunity to discuss their daily routine with the practitioner. They were reminded of the concerns and aspirations that they had identified during this discussion, which helped whānau to choose the things they would like the team to help with. They were encouraged to prioritise 6 to 10 outcomes, which became the focus for ongoing support.
3
A practitioner used PATH (Promoting Alternative Tomorrows with Hope) with the whānau, current and future school staff, and mokopuna receiving Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding, to support the transition planning to high school. Through looking at the ‘Dream’ of the mokopuna, as well as what was ‘Positive and Possible’, and their strengths and needs, the team were able to begin to plan next steps for the mokopuna.
4
The team supporting a mokopuna reflected on the information summary and identified priority areas with whānau. They agreed one to two manageable goals for the mokopuna and whānau, along with key strategies to develop. Each team member identified how they could resource and provide expertise to help develop the strategies. A single plan was co-constructed by everyone involved, with specific detail about what actions would take place, by who and by when.
Elements for effective plans
A multi-agency collaborative plan can be complex. Include the following elements to make a plan that’s clear for everyone and easy to use.
- Reasons for the plan
- Partners to the plan, and roles and responsibilities
- Views of the mokopuna and whānau
- Summary of the strengths and needs of the mokopuna
- Desired outcomes, actions and timeframes
- Resources needed or to be provided
- Arrangements for reviewing the plan
- Contingency plans