Support an individual to make choices over decisions to meet their identified needs, preferences and wishes

For this assessment criterion, you will be required to demonstrate that you are able to support an individual to make choices that meet their identified needs, preferences and wishes.

The outline of an individual’s support plan will be based on the needs that have been identified by other professionals, such as a social worker or doctor, however, it is important that the individual’s needs, preferences and wishes are also taken into account to ensure a person-centred approach.

To achieve this, you will need to ensure that the individual has all the relevant information that they need to make an informed decision. This should be provided to them in an objective way, without letting your own opinions and beliefs influence their choices. You should outline the pros and cons of each of the options and be flexible, where possible, facilitating innovation and ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking to formulate new solutions.

You should start out with the assumption that the individual has the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves, however, even if there are doubts about their capacity, the individual should still be given support to be able to make their own decisions wherever possible. Individuals may wish to have the support of others, such as a family member or an advocate and they should be treated as equal partners in the care planning process.

In addition, individuals should be given enough time to process the information that they have been provided with and weigh up the risks and benefits before agreeing to a plan of action.