Personalisation means recognising people as individuals who have strengths and preferences and putting them at the centre of their own care and support.
The traditional service-led approach has often meant that people have not been able to shape the kind of support they need, or received the right help.
Personalised approaches like self-directed support and personal budgets involve enabling people to identify their own needs and make choices about how and when they are supported to live their lives. People need access to information, advocacy and advice so they can make informed decisions.
Personalisation is also about making sure there is an integrated, community-based approach for everyone. This involves building community capacity and local strategic commissioning so that people have a good choice of support, including that provided by user-led organisations. It means ensuring people can access universal services such as transport, leisure, education, housing, health and employment opportunities. All systems, processes, staff and services need to put people at the centre.