Care Planning Conversations That Count: Making Meetings Inclusive
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Blog 4 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.
Care planning meetings are meant to be a space for collaboration — not a box-ticking exercise. But too often, family members or advocates arrive to find decisions already made or their insights sidelined.
For commissioners scoring domiciliary care bids and learning disability tenders, inclusive meetings are a hallmark of genuine person-centred practice. If you can show how your meetings are designed for participation, your home care submissions immediately feel stronger and lower-risk.
🛠️ Making Meetings Work for Everyone
To make meetings inclusive and productive:
- 📄 Circulate an agenda in advance so families and advocates can prepare.
- 🧭 Clarify roles — who’s leading, who’s listening, and who’s supporting.
- 🗣️ Make space for quiet voices, and check for understanding.
- 📝 Record views clearly in the care plan or minutes, including points of disagreement.
- 💬 Offer alternatives like pre-meeting calls or written feedback where attendance isn’t possible.
It’s about reducing the power imbalance so people feel like partners, not observers.
🎯 Why This Matters for Person-Centred Practice
Care planning is only person-centred if it brings together the whole picture. That includes the insights, concerns, and aspirations of those closest to the person. When meetings feel inclusive, trust grows — and so does the quality of planning.
Families often tell services that they just want to feel listened to. Not always agreed with — but heard, acknowledged, and included. That’s the goal.
📝 In Tenders and CQC Evidence
Demonstrate how your service:
- 📋 Plans inclusive care planning meetings with structured tools.
- 📊 Actively gathers and reflects the views of families and advocates.
- 📌 Follows up on discussions with clear documentation and agreed actions.
Make your examples easy to score and easy to trust. Many providers use our specialist proofreading & review service to polish meeting processes and evidence so they read clearly in tenders and inspection packs.
📚 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