Using goal analysis to drive improvements in performance and outcomes

Abstract

Economic pressures for public health and human services systems to control budgets are increasing the need for demonstrating value of support services provided to persons with intellectual disabilities. In this article, we build from earlier work that presented a method for assessing goal attainment to expand the study of goal characteristics as a means to gain an improved understanding of individual outcomes and service performance. The study results suggest a positive relationship between targeting intentional skill teaching in person-centered planning and service delivery and increasing the ability of individuals to live more independently in communities with decreased levels of paid staff support. Additional areas meriting further exploration are presented and implications for current system trends are discussed.

Individual support plans of people with intellectual disabilities in residential services: content analysis of goals and resources in relation to client characteristics

“…A second implication of the present study is the need to focus on the whole person as reflected in the eight QOL domains used as framework of the content analysis. Most of the goals analysed in the present study related to the domain of physical well‐being, as was also found by Lawlor et al (). This can be explained by the fact that people with ID are more at risk for health problems than the general population, and that these risks increase with age, severity of the ID and specific syndromes (Schoufour et al ; Havercamp & Scott ; Hermans & Evenhuis ).…”

“…A combination of both natural and service‐based resources in achieving ISP goals was found in 25.9% of all goals. These findings are in line with policy developments promoting the involvement of natural resources and the persons' individual role and responsibility in working to QOL‐related outcomes (Kober & Eggleton, ; Lawlor et al , ). The findings of the present study are congruent with a shift being made from a predominant specialised services approach in which these services are ‘used to the maximum extent’ to an approach in which different resources are blended into an individualised strategy of supports (Luckasson et al , , p.184).…”

“…Ideally, these goals and objectives are developed in dialogue with the person with ID and/or their families and significant others. Research has shown that goals and objectives in ISPs are often of poor quality (Shaddock & Bramston, 1991;Greasley, 1995;Cummins et al, 1996;Pretti-Frontczak & Bricker, 2000;Radcliffe & Hegarty, 2001;Cook et al, 2006;Taylor & Taylor, 2013), and that their content varies according to policy developments or the introduction of a new planning method (Wigham et al 2008;Lawlor et al 2013). In addition, relatively little is known about the relationship between individual client characteristics and the content of ISP goals.…”