Supported Decision-Making Service

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

The Human Rights Center for People with Disabilitis

Accompanying assessment study

The purpose of the assessment study

was to examine the extent to which the support process, as

implemented in the pilot, contributed to an increase in the participants’ level of independence

in making decisions. This was a preliminary step in assessing the model as an alternative to

guardianship.

In order to examine this, a comparative (before-after) research model was built, focusing on

studying the differences observed at the beginning and end of the pilot with respect to a number

of key indicators. The selected indicators were: The degree to which pilot participants understood

the significance of the decision-making process, the extent of their desire and inner motivation

for independence in making decisions and the extent of their actual independence in making and

implementing decisions.

The Research Method:

The assessment study included in-depth interviews with the participants in the program, guardians

and supporters. These were carried out in two stages:

Stage A – 12 interviews with the pilot participants and six interviews with guardians.

Stage B –At the end of the pilot – 12 interviews with the participants, six interviews with guardians

and three interviews with supporters.

Study limitations

1. The limited scope of the pilot regarding the number of participants, the number of participants

without guardians and the duration of the pilot – only one year.

2. The number of external guardians who were interviewed – two representatives from one

guardianship corporation. This means that the study does not fully reflect the perspective of

external guardians.

Summary of the assessment study findings

In this section, the main findings and conclusions, as they emerged at the end of the pilot will

be presented. A separate summary of the first stage of the pilot can be found in the body of the

report.

The assessment study that accompanied the Article 12 Pilot indicates that the supported

decision making model used for the pilot managed to significantly advance the participants’

ability to understand decision making processes, make decisions and implement them. Progress

was observed among all interviewees (12 out of the 22 pilot participants were interviewed),

whether they had intellectual or psychosocial disabilities (some also had a physical disability).

Significant changes that occurred during the pilot and can be attributed to the support received,

were observed among all the participants who were interviewed, without exception. However, it

should be taken into account that changes did not necessarily occur among all pilot participants.

Given the limitations of the pilot and the assessment study, it appears that the supported decision

making model, with its unique features (supporters who are not experts on caring for people

with disabilities, training across various disabilities, adaptation of the support process to the

person’s unique characteristics rather than to his or her specific disability), may be effective for

people with different characteristics: type of disability, age, marital status, type of housing etc.