Supported Decision-Making Service

Supported Decision-Making Service for Persons with Disabilities | Service Model

The Human Rights Center for People with Disabilitis

A pilot participant requested assistance in managing her property. She was not familiar with her

financial situation and consequently felt paralyzed with respect to financial decisions she had to

make such as heating during the winter. The first stage was to identify her wishes, which revealed

that she did not want other people to make decisions for her, but did want someone to help her

understand her financial situation. At the second stage, with the assistance of her supporter, she

gathered information about her financial situation by going over the printouts of her checking

account and credit card bills and studying the bills she received by mail. Thereafter, an annual

table of earnings versus expenses was created, facilitating the understanding of her financial

situation and serving as a tool for making specific decisions (such as buying a new printer). The

support throughout the process was intensive, but after it was completed and everything was

properly organized, low intensity support was sufficient, needed only once every few months.

G. Support duration

The supported decision-making service is differential by nature since it varies according to the

different characteristics and needs of the person who receives the service: young people starting

out their lives may need support for a certain designated period of time after which they would

be able to establish their ability to make decisions without supported decision-making services.

Others, such as persons with intellectual disabilities, may need support throughout their lives.

Persons with fluctuating functionality (such as persons with psychosocial disabilities) may need

support at varying levels of intensity. Therefore, the duration of the service and its intensity should

be tailored to each and every person, acknowledging the fact that many people may need support

for their entire lives.

Criteria for examining whether the service should be continued or terminated:

1. The person's will:

The person's will to continue with the service or terminate it. In this regard,

a distinction should be made between a person's wish to remain in contact with the supporter

(for various reasons, such as the supporter being a confidant, or to ease loneliness) and their

wish to continue receiving decision-making support.

2. The need for support:

Inasmuch as support services are a public resource, an external evaluation

should also be made as to whether continued support is required. As part of this evaluation,

consideration should be given to the following: other modes of support given to the person,

which may render the support service redundant; the extent to which the support promotes the

person's autonomy and liberty and the extent to which the termination of the support may harm

them. The effectiveness of the support given thus far should also be reviewed.

Mother of pilot participant:

How can we continue protecting her,

helping her, mediating, while giving

her, at the same time, the right to

make choices and the possibility to

grow and build independence and

the ability to build her own identity?