Person-centred support means putting the person with disability in the driver’s seat of their own life, and building supports around their goals, choices, culture, and strengths – not around the convenience of the service.

What Is Person-Centred Support?

Person-centred support is an approach that places the individual at the centre of all planning, decisions, and daily supports. Instead of “one-size-fits-all” services, supports are tailored to the person’s unique goals, preferences, strengths, and circumstances.kimberleycaregroup+5

In disability services and the NDIS, this means working with the person (and their family or carers if they choose), listening deeply to what they want for their life now and in the future, and then organising supports around those wishes. The focus is on what matters to the person, not just what is “wrong” or what is easiest for the service.aph+4

Key Principles of Person-Centred Practice

Person-centred support is guided by a few core principles that shape how services are delivered every day.aavgcaresupport+3

• The person is at the centre
  The person’s values, routines, communication style, and goals lead every decision, from daily support tasks to long-term planning.squarespace+2

• Choice and control
  People with disability are supported to choose who supports them, how and when support is delivered, and what they want to work towards.uwa+3

• Strengths-based approach
  Instead of focusing only on diagnosis or limitations, person-centred practice looks at abilities, interests, and potential, and builds on these strengths.ndiscommission+2

• Partnership with family, carers, and networks
  With the person’s consent, families, friends, and key people in their life are involved as partners in planning and support.aph+2

• Whole-of-life perspective
  Supports consider all areas of life – home, work or study, health, relationships, culture, and community – not just “care tasks”.ndiscommission+2

What Person-Centred Support Looks Like Day to Day

Person-centred support becomes real in the everyday moments where staff adapt to the person, not the other way around.ndp+2

Examples include:

• Morning routines done “their way”
  Support workers follow the person’s preferred routine – what time they wake, which clothes they like, whether they want music on – rather than a fixed staff timetable.aavgcaresupport+1

• Flexible communication
  Staff use the person’s preferred communication method (spoken language, AUSLAN, communication devices, gestures, visual supports) and take time to listen.ndp+2

• Supporting informed choices
  Instead of making decisions for someone, workers offer clear information, options, and gentle guidance so the person can decide for themselves wherever possible.uwa+2

• Encouraging independence
  Support focuses on “doing with” rather than “doing for” – for example, helping someone cook a meal step by step instead of always cooking it for them.latrobe+2

• Respecting culture and identity
  Plans reflect the person’s culture, religion, gender identity, and community connections, and supports are adapted to honour these.squarespace+2

Person-Centred Planning and the NDIS

Under the NDIS, choice and control are central values, and person-centred planning is a key way to put these into practice.kimberleycaregroup+2

Person-centred planning means:

• Working with the participant to identify short-term and long-term goals in their own words.kimberleycaregroup+2

• Using tools and conversations to understand what a “good day” and a “good life” look like for them.aph+2

• Linking supports (like support workers, therapies, assistive technology, transport, and community activities) directly to those goals.ndiscommission+2

• Reviewing plans regularly and adjusting supports as the person’s needs, health, and ambitions change.squarespace+2

This approach helps ensure that NDIS funding is used in ways that are meaningful and “reasonable and necessary” for the person’s own life, not just to fit a service template.uwa+1

Why Person-Centred Support Matters

When person-centred practice is done well, research shows it can improve quality of life, wellbeing, and participation for people with disability.latrobe+2

Benefits can include:

• Greater independence and confidence in daily living.latrobe+2

• Stronger sense of dignity, respect, and being heard.aavgcaresupport+2

• Better relationships with family, friends, and support staff.latrobe+1

• More meaningful involvement in community, work, study, and hobbies.ndiscommission+2

• Reduced behaviours of concern when people feel understood and supported in ways that make sense to them.latrobe+1

At its heart, person-centred support recognises that every person has the right to live a life that is rich, meaningful, and self-directed – with the right support, at the right time, in the way that suits them best.aavgcaresupport+2

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