Decision Making Possibilities - supported decision making

Decision Making Possibilities was a three-year joint project between WA’s Individualised Services, Mamre, Sotica and Decision Agency. The focus of the project was supported decision making.  

The right to be involved in decisions  

Supported decision making is the process of providing support to people to make decisions to remain in control of their lives.   Historically, people with disability have been left out of decisions that affect their lives, or other people have made decisions on their behalf. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability explains the rights of disability to be recognised as equal under the law – this includes the right to be involved in decisions.   

Building decision making capability

Decision Making Possibilities was funded through an Information, Linkages and Capacity Building grant through the Department of Social Services.  It aimed to build the capability of people with complex communication access needs (and their supporters) to be involved in decisions.  

The project supported 24 decision makers who lived in Brisbane and Perth.  All decision makers were people with complex communication access needs and a range of different disability.  People with complex communication access needs are some of those most likely to experience substituted decision making.   

The right support

Decision Making Possibilities was externally evaluated. It demonstrated that people with complex communication access needs can, with the right support, be involved in decisions that affect their lives.  

Through this work Mamre have learnt much about the practice of supported decision making, how to provide individualised support and how good support is different for each decision maker.   

Find out more about Mamre’s work within the Decision Making Possibilities project by emailing [email protected]