An Individual Support Plan (ISP) is an important planning document that helps guide the supports and goals of people supported by Empower Simcoe.
After collecting feedback from across the organization in late 2025 and early 2026, Empower Simcoe is introducing improvements to the ISP and SMART goal processes. These updates are designed to strengthen person-directed planning, improve consistency, and better connect documentation to daily supports.
Changes Underway
In response to the information we received, several initiatives are now underway:
Merging the ISP and Personal Support Plan (PSP)
The ISP and PSP documents will be combined into one streamlined format. The new document is expected to reduce duplication, modernize documentation, lighten paperwork for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), and strengthen alignment between planning and daily supports.
Enhanced Person-Directed Planning Training
New training will strengthen person-directed planning principles, ensuring the person receiving supports remains at the center of decisions about their lives. Families will be involved as much as the person chooses. The goal is to support meaningful participation and shared understanding of the importance of person-directed planning.
Improved ISP and SMART Goal Training
Additional training and updated templates will focus on building practical skills for developing clear ISPs and measurable, meaningful SMART goals. The goal is to improve consistency, clarity, and connection between written plans and daily supports.
Strengths Identified
Many participants noted that ISPs capture important person-centered information and provide a strong foundation for person-directed planning. When used effectively, ISPs help guide daily supports and decision-making, while goal setting can reflect a person’s interests and aspirations.
Families are generally aware of ISPs and understand their purpose, and many participants said they value having a structured plan focused on individual goals and outcomes.
Areas for Improvement
Participants identified redundant paperwork and outdated formats as barriers to efficiency. Limited training, resources, and templates were also said to affect the consistency and quality of documentation.
Some people receiving supports reported uncertainty about what an ISP is and how it connects to their personal goals. Others shared that ISP meetings can sometimes lose meaning over time, with limited engagement from the person receiving supports or their families. In some cases, daily supports were not always clearly aligned with what was documented in the plan.
The feedback shows there is an opportunity to make ISPs clearer, more engaging, and more closely connected to everyday support.
How Feedback Was Collected
Over several months, feedback was collected from Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), Supports & Services Supervisors, people receiving supports, and families. Input was gathered through drop-in sessions, discussions at a Believe in Yourself Committee meeting, visits to a group living location, and an online survey distributed through email, the organization’s website, newsletter, SharePoint, and social media.
Participants were asked to share their experiences with the current ISP and SMART goal process—what is working well, where improvements may be needed, and how planning can be made more meaningful and effective.
Looking Ahead
Empower Simcoe will continue using this feedback to guide improvements. By working together with DSPs, supervisors, people receiving supports, and families, Empower Simcoe will continue strengthening person-directed planning.
The feedback also aligns with findings from previous reviews and planning initiatives for Empower Simcoe’s Individualized Planning Facilitator. A clear implementation timeline has been established, progress will be monitored, and adjustments will be made as needed.
Updates will continue to be shared with staff, people receiving supports, and families as improvements roll out.
Empower Simcoe thanks everyone who shared feedback. Their input is helping shape a stronger and more meaningful ISP process for the future.
