Helen Sanderson
Helen has been immersed in the development of person-centred thinking and planning in the UK over the last fifteen years. It would be fair to say she has been obsessed with it. Her PhD is on person centred planning and organisational change and she written over fifteen books on person-centred thinking, planning, community and personalisation.
She was the Department of Health’s expert advisor on person-centred approaches to the Valuing People Support and Putting People First Teams and she co-authored the first Department of Health Guidance on person-centred planning, and the 2010 guidance ‘Personalisation through person centred planning’.
She was the primary author of People, Plans and Possibilities: exploring person centred planning (1997), the first book on person centred planning in the UK, emerging from three years research.
Helen started off working in health as an Occupational Therapist, and then in social care for over 25 years. Now she leads H.S.A, and am the Vice-Chair of the International Learning Community for Person-Centred Practices and has provided consultancy in Europe, Japan, Australia and America.
HSA were one of the founding partners of in Control, and have led the developments in support planning in health and social care. HSA supported half of the original in Control pilot sites; worked with the Individual Budget Pilot Programme; the Children’s Individual Budget pilot and many of the personal health budget pilots sites.
Helen lives in Heaton Moor, with Andy and my three daughters, Ellie, Laura and Kate, together with a dog, cats and hens. Although a black belt in karate, she spends more time doing yoga, learning mindfulness. Helen is part of three circles of support, and grateful for what I learn working together through circles. Helen used to be an aromatherapist but usually keep that quiet! She volunteers at the primary school that my girls went to, helping them to use person-centred practices.
Awards
- In 2009 Helen and HSA won a National Training Award for creating person-centred change within United Response.
- In 2011 Helen won the Laing and Buisson award for Personalisation with Steve Scown for their book ‘Making it Personal – a providers journey from tradition to transformation’
- In 2011 HSA was ‘Highly Commended’ in the Health Service Journal Awards for their work in managing Long Term Conditions.
Books
Helen loves to write to consolidate my learning and to work with others.
Creating Person Centred Organisations (2012 – in press) Stirk, S., and Sanderson, H., Jessica Kingsley Publications
A Practical Guide to Delivering Personalisation – Person-Centred Practice in Health and Social Care (2012) Sanderson, H., and Lewis, J., Jessica Kingsley Publications
Making It Personal – for everyone. From block contracts to Individual Service Funds (2011) Scown, S., and Sanderson, H., HSA Press
Getting a Job, Getting a Life and Getting it Right – 6 ways to support young disabled people into work (2011) Gitsham, N., Sanderson H., Jordan, L., Lewis, J. and El Baz, F., HSA Press
Making It Personal – a provider’s journey from tradition to transformation (2010) Scown, S., and Sanderson, H., HSA Press
In Community (2009) Poll, C., Kennedy, J., and Sanderson, H., (Eds) HSA Press
Celebrating Families (2008) Sanderson H., and Taylor M., H S A Press
Developing Person-Centred Approaches in Schools (2007) Murray, P., and Sanderson H., H S A Press
Person-Centred Thinking with Older People (2007) Bowers, H., Bailey, G., Sanderson, H., Easterbrook, L and Macadam, A. H S A Press
Person Centred Practice for Professionals (2007) Thompson, J., Kilbane, J., and Sanderson, H., Open University Press
Essential Lifestyle Planning for All (2005) Smull, M., and Sanderson, H., HSA Press
People, Plans and Practicalities (2003) Ritchie, P, Sanderson, H., Kilbane, J., Routledge, M., SHS Ltd, Edinburgh
Friendship and Community (2002) Kennedy, J., Sanderson, H., and Wilson, H., NWTDT – Whalley
Essential Lifestyle Planning: A Handbook for Facilitators (2001) Smull, M., and Sanderson, H., NWTDT – Whalley
People, Plans and Possibilities (1999) Sanderson, H., Kennedy, J., Ritchie, P., and Goodwin, G., SHS Ltd – Edinburgh
Helen Sanderson is the author of: One Page Profiles – Dementia, One Page Profiles – Children KS1 (5-7), One Page Profiles – Children KS2 (7-11), One Page Appreciation Cards, One Page Profiles – Young People (11 -18).