Parent Centered Planning: Facilitator’s Manual

The Parent Centered Planning model was inspired by the person-centered planning model, which has been ubiquitous in the field of disability advocacy and supports for nearly forty years. In our development of Parent Centered Planning, we found that most parents participating in Parent Centered Planning had positive short-term outcomes, such as strengthening their supportive relationships, clarifying their parenting goals, and making progress towards their self-identified goals. This brief intervention is appropriate for use with any parent with a disability, including new parents, parents with a new disability, any parent that wants to help plan for their family, or parents involved in the child welfare system. We hope that this promising practice for supporting parents with disabilities can be incorporated into a broader array of supports for parents with disabilities. This manual provides a step by step overview of the Parent Centered Planning model.