Blog by Helen Sanderson, Helen Sanderson Associates
We believe that all people regardless of age or circumstance should be treated as individuals and should feel empowered to have choice and control over their own lives. We believe that employees work better if they feel listened to and understood; that supportive teams are more cohesive – achieving better results; that school children thrive in an environment that encourages and celebrates individuality; that patients in hospital will have a stronger sense of wellbeing and a better recovery with a personal approach to their care.
Since first developing the concept of a one-page profile in 2004 to help improve understanding between my daughter Laura and her teachers at school, I have advocated their usefulness in all areas of life and work. At HSA we use profiles in our work with people in health, social care, education, communities and families. We use them in our personal lives too and we see them as a fundamental part of personalisation and the foremost way of keeping a person at the centre of all decision making regardless of their circumstance.
This has been a compelling year in terms of our learning around using one-page profiles at scale and their potential to effect change when adopted into the culture of an organisation. Twenty-four schools in Lancashire are committed to using profiles with over 1000 pupils and teachers. We have seen how they can work well in a hospital setting with 40 patients on a ward each having their own. And we are working with a dementia care provider who want to use one-page profiles with the 5000 people they support.
We have launched this site to share with you the many ways that one-page profiles can empower people to have greater choice and control in their life. This is the first time such a collection of one-page profile examples has been shared so widely, and it has been both a rewarding and thought provoking journey to learn about their reach and value to each and every person.
I hope you follow and are inspired by, as I am, the 100 powerful stories of people who have achieved personal success through using one-page profiles and that you too can use this tool for positive change in your life and work.
Create your own one-page profile here.
One-page profiles 