What is this?

This is the final stage of Active Planning: a core process with clients referring to collaborative care-planning that is at the heart of Active Planning, one of the Core Features of AMBIT.

Having mapped out the different intentions and goals (or destinations - see also Aims and Goals) that worker and young person may have in their minds, and explored the reasons for any differences, the worker now seeks to find compromise, or destinations that might act as waymarks on a longer journey whose ultimate destination is undecided as yet.

Implicit in this is an acceptance that goals or ultimate destinations are "just plans", and may change with circumstances, with the growth of knowledge and understanding, etc (see some of the Features of Successful Mentalizing, which include the ability to take a developmental perspective, the belief in changeability, and the stance safe uncertainty.)

A Useful Tool for agreeing waymarks:

A useful tool for this is the Active Planning Map.

Keeping it real: the obligation to manage risk

There are obligations upon the KeyWorker to demonstrate they are Managing Risk safely and appropriately.

This may lead to significant differences becoming apparent (for instance the worker is very worried about safety, and the client is not) and these are addressed at Individual Differences and Disagreements.

If there are major risks identified, then the KeyWorker must be open (see Broadcasting Intentions) about the constraints that these place upon her. This will be easier if discussion about Confidentiality and its limits has occurred early in the therapeutic relationship.

At the very least there may have to be Crisis Contingency Planning to cover the key areas of concern.