Getting ready for action

Introduction

You have now completed the nine chapters of Stage 2 – Taking the First Steps. At this point you should have a clearer idea about the life you are trying to create with a change in living situation.  

Before you can take this further, it is important to consolidate those ideas into clear ‘next steps’. This final chapter of Stage 2 will focus on two key areas:

1. Consolidating your decisions and ideas from the Stage 2 worksheets.

2. Building your action plan to help translate these ideas into your reality.
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Note: You do not need to have completed all steps up to this point to find value in making an action plan that is specifically tailored to your situation. The pace that you work through this journey is unique to you and your situation. This might mean that you are ready to start looking for a house right now, or it might mean that you are going to spend the next two years preparing for this future.  

Whatever your situation, by the end of this chapter you will have a clear framework to guide your next steps.

Reviewing Stage 2

To ensure you are confident about your decisions, we recommend that you go back through the worksheets from Stage 2 with your support team to make sure you have captured all the things that are most important to you. This includes your values, your needs and your priorities.

If a lot of time has passed while you have worked through the Stage 2 content, make sure that the early worksheets have been updated with any changes, so they are a true reflection of where you are at right now.

If there is anything you feel unsure about, it is OK to go back and review the chapters again. Re-do the worksheets if you need to, until you feel confident to take your decisions through to the next stage.

This resource is designed as a guide, but you can adapt the process in whatever way works best for you. There is no expectation that you need to progress in any particular order or at any particular speed.

Being open to change

It is common for people to think they have a plan in place and then feel disrupted when situations or goals shift. Keeping your plan flexible enough that it can change with you as you grow and learn will increase your chances of achieving success.

What to do if you need more help

If you have reached the end of this stage and you are feeling really overwhelmed or lost, it might be worth reviewing who you have in your support team and whether you need to pull in any additional help. This might be a sign that you need to invite some more members of your natural supports in to help you with this journey.  

Alternatively, you might need to look at a specific disability support service that can help you. Flying Kites offers a service that can help make goals like this happen; we can facilitate meetings with your support team, help you make your action plan, or give you advice about where to head next. These services can be paid for out of your Individualised Funding, if you have it. More information is available from the Flying Kites website.

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Where to start

Decide: are you ready to action your ideas?

Whether you are ready to move on to Stage 3 – Making the Move is a decision you will need to come to with your support team. There are no set criteria for ‘being ready’ – instead this will depend on when you and your support team feel confident to take the necessary action to make your plans a reality.  

Before you make this decision, go back through your worksheets for Stages 1 and 2 and consolidate your decisions into one clear plan. This will help make it easier to see what an action plan might look like.

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Next steps:

Complete the worksheets below to consolidate your ideas, decisions and priorities from earlier chapters. Use these to build your plan for what your next steps should be.