Understanding positive behaviour support
Published at 18-03-2024 15:00:00
Understanding positive behaviour support
Positive behaviour support (PBS) is a helpful way to improve the lives of people who have challenging behaviours. It is about understanding why these behaviours happen and finding better ways to support the individual to deal with these behaviours.
What is positive behaviour support?
PBS isn’t just about stopping bad behaviours, it’s about helping people learn about and better understand these behaviours to live happier and more fulfilling lives. It looks at the person’s environment, how they communicate, and what causes their behaviour. The goal is to create a supportive setting that encourages positive behaviour.
How can positive behaviour support help me?
Positive behaviour aims to help you through developing personalised strategies that encourage independence and remove the things that may trigger difficult behaviour. PBS can help you through many different ways depending on your needs. This may include helping you:
- Learn new skills and strategies to cope
- Improve your communication and social skills
- Take part in your community
- Improve your relationships and get along with others
- Get the right support that meets your needs
- Manage your stress and anger
- Understand safe methods of response to unsafe behaviours
- Create a better sense of stability and belonging in your life
How does behaviour support work?
Behaviour support works by creating a supportive environment and teaching new skills to replace challenging behaviours. Here is how it typically works:
1. Assessment: Assessments are first made to assess the individual’s behaviour, environment and personal history. This involves observing the person and talking with them and their family and carers to understand why certain behaviour occur.
2. Planning: Based on the assessment, a positive behaviour support plan (PBSP) is developed. This plan outlines specific strategies and interventions to address the challenging behaviours. Specialist behaviour support providers also help write up the plan with the individual and help them use the plan.
3. Implementation: The strategies in the PBSP will then be put into practise. This might involve changing the environment, modifying routines and teaching new skills to the individual.
4. Monitoring and review: Behaviour support providers will help to check regularly if the plan is working well and adjustments can be made as needed to ensure the plan remains effective.
What is a behaviour support plan?
A behaviour support plan is a document created for a person with disability, usually developed by a practitioner or someone considered suitable to conduct behaviour assessments and develop these plans. This plan addresses the needs of the person identified as having complex behaviours of concern and clearly outlines the terms and strategies that can help to improve their quality of life.
There are two types of behaviour support plans:
1. Interim behaviour support plan: This is a short term plan that focuses on keeping everyone safe until a more detailed plan can be developed.
2. Comprehensive behaviour support plan: This is a detailed plan that explains why certain behaviours happen and how certain supports can assist you.
What are restrictive practices?
Restrictive practices are put in place to limit certain actions in order to prevent harm to an individual or others. Restrictive practices are sometimes included in behaviour support plans to make sure that everyone is safe. They can help you by stopping your behaviour or changing your behaviour.
While sometimes this might be necessary, they are only used as a last resort and under strict guidelines. The goal is always to reduce and eventually eliminate the need for restrictive practices by finding better ways to support the individual.
There are five categories of regulated restrictive practices that are monitored by the NDIS commission. These include:
1. Seclusion: This involves isolating the individual in a room or area for certain period of time.
2. Chemical restraint: This uses medication or chemical substances to manage a person’s behaviour.
3. Mechanical restraint: This involves the uses of devices to limit a person’s movement with the goal of controlling their behaviour.
4. Physical restraint: This involves using physical force to limit a person’s movement control their behaviour.
5. Environment restraint: This involves restricting a person’s access to certain areas or items in their environment to manage their behaviour.
The use of restrictive practices are carefully monitored and reviewed regularly to ensure the safety and well-being of the individual while seeking alternatives that promote positive behaviour and independence.
If you would like to know a bit more, the regulated restrictive practices guide has more information on these practices as well as providers obligations when using these practices.
Get in touch
If you would like to know a bit more about PBS or have any general questions, we would love to help you out! Call us on 1300 217 037 or email us at info@justplanmanagers.com.au and our friendly team will get back to you in no time.