Going Through A Decision
Supporting a decision
You might support someone to:
- Let others know we all have the right to make decisions
- Recognise the decision
- Know what supports they might need
- Find and understand information
- Explain information
- Remember what decisions they have made before and what happened
- Think about the good and bad things that could happen as a consequence of the decision
- Safeguard and manage the risks in the decision
This list is not exhaustive and the different roles of supporters will depend on the support needs of the decision maker and the specific decision being made.
Exploring the Decision
Ask yourself:
- What is the decision?
- Can the decision be broken into smaller parts?
- Does the whole decision have to be made now?
Ask the decision maker:
- What is the most important part of the decision to you?
- Have you made a decision like this before?
- What supports did you use then?
Remember, for people who require support to make decisions and have had little experience making big decisions, it can be a difficult experience.
Sometimes these decisions can be broken into smaller decisions, which may make it easier.
Exploring Options
Having personally relevant option is important in decision making. People who require support are not always offered options.
Ask yourself:
- What are the options?
- Did the decision maker come up with the option?
Ask the decision maker:
- Do the options fit in with your goals or values?
- What does a good life/day look like to you?
- Can you think of any more options you would like?
Sometimes it can be hard to find ‘good’ options. Sometimes you have to choose an option, which is just ‘okay’. Everyone has to do this sometimes but it should not be the case for every decision. You can always change your mind later.
Exploring Consequences
Ask the decision maker:
- What are the good things that could happen?
- What are the bad things that could happen?
- Do you have worries about this decision?
- Do you think others in your support network would worry?
- How would this decision affect the people in your support network?
Dignity of Risk
Consequences are the good and bad things that can happen when a decision is made. The risk is the chance of the bad thing happening.
Everyone has the right to make decisions and everyone has the right to take risks. We all learn from our mistakes and successes. The trick with risk is to manage it so that the risk is less likely or the impact is reduced.
Ask the decision maker:
- What can we do to stop the bad thing from happening?
- What would you do if the bad thing happens?
- How long do you think it could last?
- What can we do to fix it if it happens?
- Do you want this option enough even though the bad thing may happen?
