Tri-Counties Regional Center

Building Capacity for Person Centered Practices

TCRC's commitment to person centered practice is evidenced by ongoing work toward a broad training initiative, allocation of staff time for this work, deep organizational change and collaboration with partner agencies.

Over the past decade TCRC has continued work on a broad training initiative to build capacity for person centered practices.  This multi-year plan includes training staff, service providers, families and adults served and other interested community members.  An introduction to Person Centered Thinking is required of all new staff and reinforced through modeling and coaching support from managers.  Communities of Practice is offered in each regional location to augment training and build confidence in using the tools.  Additional training opportunities are available to all stakeholders to embed person centered skills and practices in daily work and life.  The commitment to further these practices is reflected in our Training & Development plan.

Early in the initiative, we designated a core group of staff and service provider partners to serve on a PCT Task Force.  The purpose of this group was to recommend a strategy to embed person centered practices across the organization.  What started with a pilot group gradually expanded to agency wide implementation through the support of various sub committees, the work of the TCRC leadership team and a dedicated PCT coordinator position.  Ongoing collaboration with partner agencies has contributed greatly to the success of the initiative.

This focus on person centered practices resulted in a few key organizational changes:

• Adopting a guiding principle to be “Person Centered in All We Do” has kept us focused on our goals.
• We made a commitment to use “People First Language”.  This contributes to a more respectful environment, helping us focus on individuals, rather than disabilities.
• We changed the format of our IPP (Individualized Program Plan) to mirror some of the PCT tools.
• PCT tools have helped create an environment in which issues are discussed openly and differing views are respected.
• We have adopted Positive and Productive Meetings principles and applied PCT tools in a variety of organizational settings; allowing participants to be heard and valued and resulting in a more efficient approach to planning and problem solving.
• We strive for continuous improvement through periodic review and revision of strategic objectives to support this initiative.

We work closely and share learning with The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices and our partner agencies. These shared experiences further knowledge, enhance partnership and increase our ability to create meaningful change.  Hosting an event like the California Gathering for Person Centered Practices provides further opportunity for collaboration and to be inspired by new ideas.