IDPs / PCP / OPP
What is an Individual Development Plan (IDP)?
This is a legal document that will contain information about the child/young person, an outline of their additional learning needs and will clearly set out what support they will receive to help them.
The IDP will have details of targets and the strategies for the child/young person that are different from or additional to those in place for the rest of the group/class.
It will be written in a way that is easy to understand.
Who will have an IDP?
An IDP is available to children and young people with additional learning needs no matter the severity or complexity of their needs. It can be prepared for children and young people up to the age of 25 if they are in education, further education or training and have ALN.
Who will be involved in creating the IDP?
The child/young person is at the centre of the IDP, and they will be asked their thoughts, views and wishes.
Parents/carers will also be asked to give their views on the nature of the ALN and how they would like to see their child/young person supported.
Any external agencies working with the child/young person will also be asked to contribute to the IDP. This could be from health, social services or other agencies involved in care and support.
The school will hold meetings where everyone can share their ideas and the most important targets and methods of support that are agreed upon will be written into the IDP.
There will be one named person with the responsibility for making sure the plan is working and kept up to date.
How do we make sure it stays up to date?
A meeting will be held annually where the IDP will be reviewed. The child/young person, their parents/carers and all professionals working with the learner will be invited to attend and give their views. Any changes to the IDP will be discussed and recorded.
Meetings can be requested, should there be any change in the ALN or provision, in addition to the annual review.
What is the difference between a One Page Profile (OPP) and an IDP?
Everybody working in school and every pupil will have a One Page Profile. This sets out what people like and admire about them, what is important to the learner and how best to support them. It is not statutory.
A child/young person with ALN will have an IDP which sets out what must be done to support them and how that will be carried out. Their one-page profile makes up part of this document. This is a statutory document.
What is an ALP?
The support that a child/young person with ALN receives is called Additional Learning Provision and is recorded in the IDP.
This will include
* what’s in it for the child/young person (intended outcome),
* what the support will be,
* the language the ALP is to be delivered in,
* who is providing the support
* a start and finish date.
The reason for the specific ALP is also included.
Where more than one ALP is being provided, the same information will be completed for other ALPs.
What can I do if my child/young person and/or the family disagree with the IDP?
Pupils and parents/carers and involved in writing the IDP and there are opportunities to discuss concerns at an early stage. However, disagreements can still arise.
· In all cases it is important to contact the school to let them know how you feel about the IDP and to look to resolve the issue.
· If a child/young person or their parent/carer is not happy with the decisions that have been made by the school, they may ask that the local authority reviews or reconsiders it.
A lot of useful information can be found on the Carmarthenshire website.
Their helpline is open from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.
Telephone: 01267 246465
Email: ALNQueries@carmarthenshire.gov.uk
· Under the new ALN Reform there is the right to appeal to the Educational Tribunal Wales which is an independent body that will consider appeals where there is disagreement with the local authority.
Contact details
Telephone: 0808 801 0608 / 0300 025 9800
Email: Tribunal.Enquiries@gov.wales
What is Person-Centred Planning?
Person-centred planning and person-centred reviews put the learner at the middle of the process and asks for their views and feelings along with those of family, friends, teachers and any other professionals working with the child/young person; their circle of support. Person-centred planning is a collection of tools and approaches that are used to plan with and not for the child/young person. It includes what is happening now and what would make a good future.
Through this approach, very specific person-centred outcomes can be shown.
When the IDP is reviewed, the meeting will be person-centred and focus on:
· what people like and admire about the learner
· the aspirations of the learner and their family
· understanding what is important to the learner
· addressing what is important for the learner so they can make progress
· describing what good support looks like
· analysing what is working and not working from different people’s views
· developing an action plan based on the person-centred outcomes
· opportunities to ask questions
Below is a link to the Welsh Government Person-Centred Planning toolkit, the Helen Sanderson website and a short clip showing a person-centred review
Person-centred Thinking Tools | HSA | Consultancy | Training (helensandersonassociates.co.uk)
The ALN reform is looking to strengthen the bilingual system in Wales. When an IDP is being created, those present will need to consider whether the child or young person needs their Additional Learning Provision to be in Welsh. If they do, this must be written into the IDP and “all reasonable steps” must be taken to secure the provision in Welsh.
Welsh Language
Below is a link to the Welsh Government Person-Centred Planning toolkit, the Helen Sanderson website and a short clip showing a person-centred review
Person-centred Thinking Tools | HSA | Consultancy | Training (helensandersonassociates.co.uk)