MAP – MAKING AN ACTION PLAN WITH PERSON CENTRED PROCESSES

To create a shared vision

To talk through the story so far and reflect upon it

To name the worse nightmares that will block progress

To strengthen the group by focussing on gifts and capacity

To detail needs

To specify an Action Plan

To create a visual graphic record of the whole event

The story so far.
The group is required to think back over the years to describe their collective experience of changes and events over time within their settings. Stories and events are recorded on the graphic.

Building Shared Dreams.
The group thinks together about what they would love to see happening for children, families and practitioners in their settings if they could have it all. If there were no constraints on time, money, resources, people or anything else what do they see happening in their imaginations? The various ideas that the group comes up with are then recorded in key words, images and colours on the MAP graphic. The purpose of this Step is to give the group a sense of direction, their North Star, an image of the place they want to work towards.

Nightmare.
In this Step, the group imagines the worst scenarios. What is the opposite of their dreams? How bad could it get? This is a shorter but powerful process that can give some groups more energy than dreaming together.

Gifts and Capacity.
In this Step the group is asked to take explicit stock of their capacities and what they already have going for them as they begin working towards the vision. This is a strong reminder for any group of the wealth of knowledge and experience that is already and always in the room.

Needs.
In this Step the group is invited to begin to name some of the needs they will have if they are to move forward to wards the dream and away from the nightmare.

Actions.
This is the final Step in the MAP and calls for individuals within the group to name a range of very specific actions (however small) that they will take within a definite time scale. This is not a time for declaring good intentions or suggesting good ideas for someone else to do. The purpose of this Step is to end the MAP process with a range of clearly understood actions that carry this planning process forward into the real world.