You’re invited!

Register to attend this remote training series starting on March 26. This course will be held over 4 days, March 26, April 2, April 9,and April 16, 2025, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. 

During our time together you will learn about California’s Supported Decision-Making Act and practice skills that will help you assist others in accessing a variety of decision-making support options.

Participants will receive a certificate of completion when they attend all four modules consecutively.

Module 1: Conservatorship Reform and Supported Decision-Making in California
Be introduced to a California law that provides a framework of opportunity for supporting people with intellectual/developmental disabilities to maintain, build, and regain authority over life decisions through the process of Supported Decision-Making.

We will explore:

• What does the new Probate Conservatorship Reform mean?
• What is the Supported Decision-Making Act?
• What does this mean for the people we serve?
• What is my role?

Module 2: Supportive Decision-Making Skills
Everyone makes decisions; and most people rely on other people to help inform them. This module focuses on presuming competency and capacity, and figuring out how others can provide support that maintains the person’s authority for decision making.

We will explore:

• Defining your role in a supportive relationship with those you support and their family members
• Capacity and Competency- what can it look like to identify, honor, and support building capacity and competency?
• Decision-making authority through a continuum.
• Seven (7) elements for decision-making and coaching questions that supporters can apply to help people learn decision-making skills while retaining authority.

Module 3: How to Talk to People About a Continuum of Decision-Making Support Options
Review and discuss the historical approaches for supporting decision-making and discover a continuum of decision-making support options. Learn to introduce a variety of options, and practice conversation tools that can assist with decision-making.

We will explore:

• How can you have person-centered conversations with people you support and family members regarding different decision-making options?
• Translating the legal system – what can accessible language sound like?
• Practical resources to support conversations around exploring different decision-making options

Module 4: Supported Decision-Making Agreements
A Supported Decision-Making process starts with being clear about who will do what, as defined by the person with the decision authority. This module will look at the development of agreements.

We will explore:

• Skills for developing Supported Decision-Making Agreements
• Common elements of formal agreements
• Sorting between roles and responsibilities, and formal and informal supports

Meet your facilitators:

Leigh Ann Kingsbury is the Principal/Owner of InLeadS Consulting, a consultancy focused on the application of person-centered practices and policy across disability and older adult services. Her career has been focused around supporting people to stay in charge of their lives through person centered planning and decision frameworks that support personal autonomy and authority. Leigh Ann is Certified Person-Centered Thinking Mentor Trainer and a Charting the Life Course Ambassador.

Tina Campanella is an independent consultant with over 40 years of experience working in support of children and adults with developmental and other disabilities. She has worked directly with people in many roles and served as an expert consultant regarding quality improvement and organizational development in the US and abroad. In her previous role CEO of Quality Trust, she led the development of the National Resource Center on Supported Decision-Making to advance the right of people with disabilities to exercise their right to choice and control in their lives.

Holly Matecko is a Helen Sanderson facilitator and trainer.

Questions? Contact Holly@helensandersonassociates.com