For many people with learning difficulties the quality of individual assessment and planning can play a crucial role in their personal development. However, for many service providers, and service users, there is limited knowledge of current approaches and recent developments in this area of work. This article aims, then, to provide a brief overview of the key issues and key sources of information in the field of individual planning. A number of issues relating to the implementation of Individual Programme Plans are discussed. Particular attention is paid to the development of more recent approaches, such as Personal Futures Planning, which aim to place greater emphasis on self-advocacy and the involvement of 'non-service providers' in assessment and planning.