Balancing Autonomy and Support: Involving Families Without Undermining the Person
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Blog 2 of 7 – Part of our series on involving families and advocates in person-centred planning.
Scroll to the bottom for links to explore all seven blogs in the series.
One of the most common challenges in person-centred planning is finding the right balance between a person’s autonomy and the desire of families or advocates to be involved. It’s a delicate but essential part of getting support right — and one that often comes up in learning disability tenders and domiciliary care bids.
⚖️ It’s Not Either/Or
Involving families doesn’t mean sidelining the person’s voice. Done well, it means complementing it — adding depth and context, especially where there may be communication barriers, memory issues, or complex decisions to navigate. For example, home care tenders often highlight how family insight can make planning more consistent and safer.
- 👨👩👧 Families can offer history, patterns, and insights the person may not recall or express easily
- 🗣️ Advocates can help articulate wishes in formal or complex settings
- ✅ But all involvement must be directed by the person’s own preferences and boundaries
🧍 “With Me, Not About Me”
Support planning must start with the person, not their family. That means:
- Checking how the person wants others involved (if at all)
- Agreeing what can be shared, and what should remain private
- Reviewing involvement over time — needs and preferences evolve
This is particularly important in tender responses or inspections, where assumptions about family input can be challenged unless clearly person-led. Many providers use our proofreading service to ensure these subtleties are expressed clearly in their submissions.
📖 Good Practice in Action
Show how your service does this in real life — with examples such as:
- 📝 Family involvement agreements created and reviewed with the person
- 🚪 Clear boundaries respected during care planning meetings
- 🔄 Adjustments made when someone changes their mind about who they want involved
Demonstrating these actions in tenders can help evidence dignity, rights, and a genuinely person-centred culture.
📚 Explore the full series on involving families and advocates in person-centred planning:
- 👥 1 – Involving Families in Person-Centred Planning: How Much Is Too Much?
- ⚖️ 2 – Balancing Autonomy and Support: Involving Families Without Undermining the Person
- 👂 3 – The Power of Listening: Why Family and Advocates Hold the Missing Pieces
- 💬 4 – Care Planning Conversations That Count: Making Meetings Inclusive
- ⚔️ 5 – When Families Disagree: Navigating Conflict in Person-Centred Planning
- ⏰ 6 – Making Time for Families: Why It’s Worth It (Even When You’re Busy)
- 🤝 7 – From Tokenism to True Partnership: Families as Equal Voices in Care Planning