Management Plans: What are they and why do I need one?

Here at Cooee, our clients each have a personalised therapy ‘Management Plan’ that they develop with their Speech Pathologist and/or Occupational Therapist. The first Management Plan is made at the beginning of your therapy, and will be updated and adjusted regularly throughout your therapy process. 

So… What is a Management Plan? 

A Management Plan is a document that states the long term therapy goals we want to achieve to finish our therapy journey.

It also states the short term therapy goals which are smaller goals that move the child towards the bigger long term goals. 

The Management Plan document lists each goal that is being worked on, and the intervention approach and strategies that will be used to target the goal. Management Plans are regularly updated with the child’s therapy progress for each goal. This means that the therapist, family and other people the family wish to share the Plan with (such as classroom teachers and other therapists from different clinics) know what is being worked on and where the child is at with these goals. 

Why do we need a Management Plan? 

The Management Plan is an important document because it gives you a snapshot overview of the child’s therapy. While you do receive updates and a parent progress note with each therapy session, the Management Plan can tell you:

• The therapy goals you have achieved, 
• What therapy goals you’re working on right now, 
• What therapy goals may be important to focus on next,
• The therapy goals you have paused or changed, and the reason why, 
• A summary of where you are in your therapy journey, 
• The intervention approaches being used, 
• The overall progress made with each goal. 

Sounds great! But, why do I need to be involved in setting the Management Plan? 

We want families and caregivers (and sometimes others in the child’s support team, such as classroom teachers and other therapists) to help us set the goals in the Management Plans. This means we are able to make sure the goals being set are appropriate for your family and child, and are meaningful to you. It also means we can collaborate and plan the therapy journey together, so the skills that impact your child the most are being addressed. It’s our priority that you have informed consent and choice during the therapy process. This means you pick the goals and interventions for the child that will work for you. 

Being a part of goal setting and developing/adjusting the Management Plan also means you will have a clear understanding of where your child is at with their therapy. When setting the Management Plan, we will discuss the child’s current strengths and weaknesses, so you know what their profile is. The therapist will also explain options for goals and the next steps so you understand exactly what you’re working on in therapy, how you will work on this skill and why that goal/skill is important for the child. 

Written by Thida Hantun, Speech Pathologist

Still have questions about Cooee’s Management Plans? Feel free to send these to our lovely Client Care team via [email protected] or call us on (07) 3265 4495.