In Person Centred Planning we are passionate to pursue and plan for a good life for the child or young person who is the focus of our efforts. This contrasts with attempts to provide effective provision to meeting Special Educational Needs that is so central a task in the ‘medical model,’ service centred world most of us work in or bring our disabled children up in. 

But what is a good life?

We learned from ‘Beyond Welfare’ the importance of:

• Money
• Meaning
• Friendship

for communities and these certainly make sense for individuals.We have used the pursuit of these principles as a central way forward with our Community Circle work around the UK.

Going way back to the ancient philosophy days of Aristippus and Aristotle and the study of well being we discover:

• Hedonism – the pursuit of pleasure
• Eudaimonism – life in accordance with ones virtues/seeking meaning/engagement with the existential challenges of life