Positive Behaviour Support Service

People we support may have behaviours which challenge others in the community and make it difficult for them to be included in ordinary life experiences and events. Behaviours may be considered challenging for many reasons, such as how often they occur, how long they last and the impact they have on themselves and others. We successfully support a number of people with challenge to live in their own tenancies, be part of their communities and have a happy and fulfilling life. We:

• work with people to understand how they wish to live their lives and their desired outcomes as well as the challenges which can make this difficult.
• have a Positive Behaviour Support Officer who works with individuals and staff teams to build confidence and address challenges.
• identify the cause of the behaviour and determine what need the behaviour is fulfilling.
• recognise that challenging behaviour can occur due to frustrations from communication barriers or as a response to an external or internal trigger or event.
• recognise behaviour has a function e.g. the person may be trying to get away from a situation, task, environment, to gain attention or to get something they want.
• develop support plans which identify the triggers for challenge and assist the person to avoid or to manage situations where triggers may be present.
• assist the person to improve communication skills to reduce frustrations and ensure staff have the appropriate training and knowledge to communicate effectively with the person.
• use a Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) approach to reduce challenge.

We have experience of supporting people with challenging behaviour in a variety of settings from low level visiting support to 24 hour supported accommodation.