The Individual Development Plan (IDP)

In the ALN and Education Tribunal Act the IDP replaces the current planning and statutory processes for children and young people with Additional Needs (AN), including the 'Statement of SEN', and will result in a more fluid and flexible person-centred approach following on from the processes outlined above

The IDP will benefit children and young people with Additional Needs (AN) aged 0-25 years, by:

• creating an inclusive, holistic system, enhancing the child/young person’s participation in individual assessment and planning processes, and consequently improving learning outcomes and well-being for children/young people with AN in Wales.
• improving partnership working with parents and carers of children/young people with AN, increasing trust and confidence in the process, and promoting greater consistency of outcomes and quality between schools, Local Authorities (LAs) and Health Boards
• enhancing partnership arrangements between agencies and ‘third sector’ organisations, and by creating greater efficiency in the use of resources.

What’s in an IDP?

An IDP includes basic information, such as biographical information about the child or young person, contact details and information about those working with them and contributions from children and young people, parents and carers and professionals around four main aspects i.e.

• 'what’s important to' the child/young person
• 'what’s important for'/ 'how best to support' the child/young person now and in the future
• 'what’s working'
• 'what’s not working'?
• an action plan, outlining how the child/young person’s needs will be met, by whom, and how this plan will be reviewed in the future.

What does a successful planning process look like?

An effective IDP places the child at the centre and is:

• responsive and flexible
• demands changes in professional practice and approach
• facilitates professionals to work together, communicate more effectively, and encourages them to contribute to the assessment and planning processes
• increases ‘ownership’ of an IDP by the child/young person, their parents/ carers and professionals
• ensures engagement of the child/young person, their parents/carers and professionals in the process
• everyone involved has a valued input and is equally valued

Every IDP includes an action plan, which is regularly reviewed by all those contributing to it, accompanied by a robust quality assurance system which includes monitoring and evaluation:

• of the provision for additional needs
• of outcomes for children and young people with additional needs
• of the experiences of children and young people, their parents and carers and those working with them

The development of the IDP involves the child/young person, their parents/carers and all concerned professionals in a collaborative process.  In the vast majority of cases the outcome should be a consensus on how to meet the needs of the child/young person in question.