Quality Behaviour Support
Positive Behaviour Support is values led and person-centred
Positive Behaviour Support, or PBS, sees every person as a valued member of their community and as such they have a right to be respected, treated with dignity and able to have as much choice and control over their life as achievable. PBS involves the person where and when as possible, or those who know them best. It sees everyone as an individual with their own interests, needs, strengths and goals.
Positive Behaviour Support is about relationships
Relationships are at the centre of PBS. Developing and nurturing positive, safe, professional and supportive relationships, where each person is understood, is central to the success of PBS. Without these relationships, behaviours of concern are unlikely to be reduced.
Positive Behaviour Support is need or function based
All behaviour has a function or a purpose and meets a need, even if this does not seem obvious or logical to us, because a behaviour may appear to be harmful to the person or to others.
Behaviours is also influenced by things that have happened in the past, by events, experiences or responses that occur just prior to a situation and by the response that is received following the behaviour. Behaviour is also influenced by mental illness, trauma, medications, health and the environments in which the person lives (or has lived). Quality PBS explores all of these factors and takes them into account.
PBS is data-led decision making
To ensure that we know if plans are making a positive difference for the person, we need to ensure that we have right objective information or data.
When we put plans into place, we also need to know that they are being put into place properly by those around the person. We also need to make sure the team around the person has the same information, so there is consistency between everyone - that is a key to success.
PBS is adding new skills and opportunities
PBS is about improving the quality of life for the person. By learning new skills, the person can meet their needs through behaviours that are not harmful to them or others. Often this is about learning new skills in communication, learning how to do things independently, being able to make choices, or having a better understanding of our emotions and how to manage them.
PBS is teamwork
One person writing up a PBS plan without real consultation with the client and key people will lead to plans being impractical, inappropriate and most likely, not implemented. The behaviour support practitioner is one of the important people on the team but cannot do it alone. Partnerships with the team around the person ensures a plan which is appropriate, targeted and easy to implement.
PBS is a multi-component approach
Positive change cannot be made by using one strategy - a behaviour intervention plan should have a number of strategies. The majority should be proactive, to meet people’s needs, teach new skills, introduce new opportunities and improve their quality of life. There will also likely be some reactive strategies for when the behaviour occurs.