How to Evidence Progress in Support Plan Reviews

August 4, 2025

🧠 Blog 4 of 7 in our Support Planning & Reviews series

A support plan review isn’t a box-ticking exercise — it’s your opportunity to show what’s changed. Whether the person has progressed towards their goals or not, the review should capture what’s working, what’s not, and why. This blog shows you how to evidence progress (or barriers to progress) clearly, consistently, and person-centredly.

If you need to evidence this in tenders, we can help translate real practice into high-scoring answers — from learning disability bid writing to domiciliary care bid writing.

📈 What Counts as ‘Progress’?

Progress doesn't have to mean achieving a goal outright. It could mean:

Improved confidence in trying something new
Reduced need for prompts or support
Increased consistency in routines or communication

Make sure you define what progress looks like for that individual — not just in general terms.

🧾 Use Evidence From Daily Records

Your daily notes are a goldmine of data. Use them to back up statements in the review:

“X has attended five cooking sessions with minimal prompting, showing increased independence with meal prep.”
“Daily records show Y now initiates more contact with staff, particularly in the evenings.”

Pull real examples, not just summaries. This shows the review is grounded in lived support, not assumptions.

📅 Track Goals Over Time

Include a summary of the person’s original goals, and mark clearly:

What’s been achieved
What’s in progress
What’s been paused or adjusted — and why

This format helps inspectors and families understand the trajectory — not just the outcome. If you’re preparing submissions for home care contracts, aligning this goal-tracking narrative to the specification is key — our home care bid writing support shows how to evidence progress convincingly for commissioners.

📌 When There’s No Progress…

Sometimes the person hasn’t made measurable progress — and that’s okay. What matters is how you respond:

Review whether the goal was realistic or needs adapting
Identify if changes in health or wellbeing have affected outcomes
Explore whether support approaches need to be reviewed

Show that you’re responsive, not static. This demonstrates high-quality, person-centred care even in the absence of progress.

📋 Format Matters

To help the review clearly evidence progress, structure it with:

A summary of the goal
Evidence of what’s changed
Next steps or recommendations

And make sure the person’s voice is included wherever possible — in their own words, or through advocacy or observation. Before publishing or submitting, a final clarity and consistency check helps — our proofreading & review service focuses on both polish and scoring impact.

Explore the full Support Planning & Reviews series: