Embedding best practice in Positive Behaviour Support
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Case Studies
Lizzie is our Positive Behaviour Support specialist who works, as part of a new contract, alongside a dedicated support team in Hounslow, providing best practice in Positive Behaviour Support.
I joined Certitude’s Specialist Support Team in November 2021 as the Positive Behaviour Support Lead, providing advice, resources and training to colleagues in Total Communication Approaches - supporting people to express themselves through everything from facial expressions and gestures to signs, sounds, symbols, pictures, and electronic aids. This supports people in developing more positive behavioural patterns, because when their communications are understood, they feel happy and safe and empowered to do the things they enjoy which improves people’s quality of life.
To have a dedicated role like this built into a Supported Living Contract ensures consistency in the way we interact and communicate, which also helps us build trust and understanding with the people we support and their families. It takes time and we’re in the early stages, but we’re already starting to see positive changes for people.
When one person found changes in their support difficult, we worked together as a team to find different ways to build understanding that helped calm situations and provided him with more choice and control in his life. When he told us he wanted a job, we supported him to find a role that helped him feel valued. He’s now happier in his living situation and talks more about the things that interest and excite him, like going to the cricket and visiting Comic Con.
I was so happy that day and would recommend it to anyone - it’s a fun day out!
This approach helps the team to stay proactive in supporting people to live independently and do the things that they enjoy – whether that’s cooking, enjoying trips out, spending time with family and friends, working, or training. It’s about understanding the different ways people communicate as well as the different things people enjoy, for example, one person we support enjoys going to battle re-enactments. It’s person-centred, because people are varied in their interests.
Already the team are eager to grow and develop their skills, often talking to me about training to gain a better understanding about positive behaviour support. My long-term vision is to build on our existing training and webinars, to develop a Certitude Positive Behaviour Network across all our localities for colleagues to share their knowledge and experiences and further embed best practice.
