Support plan development

Page posted: 3/6/24

After completing the assessments and tools described in this manual, the provider’s next step is to use the information to develop a plan with person-centered positive support strategies. The goals of the plan are to improve the person’s quality of life and to decrease targeted behaviors. It is important for the provider to develop support strategies because symptoms and interfering behaviors are often influenced by many things, including social, environmental, biological and quality-of-life variables.

Types of support plans

The following sections describe two types of positive support plans the provider can create with the person receiving services and their team. There are other types of support plans as well. The development of any plan should begin with the person and the people in their life who care most about them.

Person-centered plans

Person-centered planning creates a positive and meaningful life for the person by building on their interests and strengths. This type of planning can reveal a lot about the misalignment between the person’s current context, what works for them and what is desirable to them. A person-centered plan can add depth to other support plans, such as a positive behavior support plan.

DHS recommends that the team assigns a point person (i.e., someone close to the person who regularly interacts with them) to:

· Monitor and adjust the person-centered plan on a regular basis.

· Compile and summarize data for review by the team and licensed practitioner.

For more information about person-centered planning, refer to DHS – Frequently asked questions about formal person-centered planning.

Positive behavior support (PBS) plans

A PBS plan is a set of strategies used to increase the person’s self-determination and quality of life while eliminating or decreasing the occurrence of interfering behaviors. The primary purposes of a PBS plan are to:

· Teach new skills.

· Maintain skills.

· Enhance environmental settings.

· Develop social networks and activities.

· Ensure person-centered choices.

· Develop communication-based solutions that will help improve overall well-being.

A PBS plan should describe specific strategies in detail, including:

· Proactive strategies.

· Strategies to teach alternative behaviors.

· Reinforcement strategies.

· Positive responses to problems.

In some circumstances, a provider licensed under Minn. Stat. Ch. 245D must ensure a PBS plan uses the Positive Support Transition Plan template, DHS-6810 (PDF) and is informed by a functional behavior assessment (FBA). For more information about these circumstances, refer to the Positive Support Transition Plan Instructions, DHS-6810B (PDF).

Additional resources

Psychotropic Medication Manual
Psychotropic Medication Manual – Functional behavior assessment (FBA)
Psychotropic Medication Manual – Person-centered tools to support medication management