Triple Planning: Vision Boarding

Triple planning asks us to hold three possible timelines at the same time:

• a positive decision and what life in the UK could look like
• a limbo status where the young person is waiting for a decision
• a refusal of protection and what that might mean for their future

Vision boarding supports the positive decision pathway. It helps young people imagine what their life in the UK could be like, including the opportunities, routines, relationships, education, hobbies and hopes that feel meaningful to them. For newly arrived young people, this can be grounding and empowering and can promote a way to picture a future here that feels real, hopeful and achievable.

Why Vision Boarding Works in Triple Planning

Vision boards help us explore the positive status element of triple planning:

• What does “a good life” look like to this young person
• What are their hopes, goals and imagined futures
• What motivates them, inspires them or gives them a sense of purpose

For many young people, especially those who are newly arrived, talking about hopes and dreams in a direct 1:1 conversation can feel pressured or too exposing. A vision board shifts the dynamic as it’s playful, visual and collaborative. It allows the young person to communicate through pictures, colours and key words not long explanations through an interpreter. It can be done as a key work session, or through group work if you have a group of young people in the same accommodation.

You can learn a huge amount simply by watching what they choose:

• the colours they gravitate towards
• the images they cut out
• the words they circle
• the themes that repeat
• the things they avoid

These small clues help us understand what matters to them and what they might be struggling to articulate. See below for how to do it:

How to Do It

You don’t need anything fancy. A vision board can be created on:

• a large sheet of paper
• a flipchart page
• a piece of card
• or even a wall space that grows over time

Invite the young person to choose images or words that represent:

• things they enjoy
• things they want to learn
• places they want to visit
• the kind of adult they want to become
• the life they imagine for themselves
• people who inspire them
• values that matter to them
• dreams they’re not sure how to say out loud

Where to Find Pictures and Words

You can gather images from almost anywhere and the more varied, the better. Some easy, accessible sources include:

• Magazines (sports, fashion, travel, food, nature)
• Old leaflets or brochures from colleges, gyms, libraries, community spaces
• Pinterest (great for themed boards like “future goals”, “dream jobs”, “places I want to visit”)
• Canva (search for images, icons, and keywords; print them in batches)
• Google Images (simple, non‑copyrighted visuals or symbols)
• Emoji sheets printed from any device
• Stickers from pound shops or stationery stores
• Coloured pens, highlighters, washi tape to add personality and meaning

For young people who prefer digital tools, you can even create a digital vision board on Canva or Pinterest and print it afterwards.

From Vision to Planning

Once the board is complete, you can gently explore it together:

• “Tell me about this picture — what does it mean to you.”
• “I notice you’ve chosen a lot of images about sport/music/education — is that something you want to focus on.”
• “If this is the future you’d like, what’s one small step we could take now.”

This is where the triple planning link becomes clear. The vision board becomes a bridge between:

• the young person’s hopes
• the practical steps we can support
• the realistic pathways available

It can also double as a grounding tool  when things feel uncertain, the board on the wall is a reminder that their future is bigger than their current situation and that people are supporting them.

Why It Matters

For young people who have experienced loss, displacement, or trauma, feelings of hope may feel risky. Vision boarding can give young people a safe, creative way to imagine a future again. It helps them see themselves not just as someone being assessed or supported, but as someone with agency, identity, dreams and aspirations.

Want to Learn More About Triple Planning?

If you’d like to feel more confident in meeting statutory requirements, and learn practical, relational tools like this one, you can book onto our triple planning training.

 

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