Supporting Positive Behaviour Support

Supported Accommodation provide bespoke accommodation to young people living on their own or in a group living settings. Each Care/Pathway Plan and package of care/support should meet the needs of the individuals placed.

The Service fully recognises the contribution it makes to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its young people that it supports.  We recognise that all staff have a full and active part to play in protecting our young people from harm and this includes supporting young people with relationships and helping them to maintain their home with the Service including supporting them with positive behaviours and making positive relationships.

Appropriate plans/agreements should be drawn up with the professionals working with the young person if there are issues and clear messages around behaviour, and resolutions should be addressed in the plan on how this is achieved.

The aim is always for young people to maintain their home in the supported accommodation. Good matching is essential to make sure a supported accommodation placement is the right option for the young person.  If there are issues around relationships and behaviour, then the Service will talk to the young person about their supported accommodation and try and make changes within their home or group setting, to iron out any difficulties or issues. However, there may be situations where the supported accommodation does not suit the young person and they may need to be moved on in a supportive way.

However, this would only be if:

• All solutions have been exhausted by staff;
• Other key professionals have been involved;
• Specialist support has been offered such as counselling and consultation with our psychology service;
• The reassessment of the young person’s needs indicates a different service is needed;
• The young person wants to look at other options as they do not feel the supported accommodation is meeting their needs.

Young people are helped to develop, and to benefit from relationships based on:

• Mutual respect and trust;
• An understanding about acceptable behaviour; and
• Positive responses to other young people and adults.

In particular, the registered person will ensure that staff:

• Meet each young person's behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the young person's relevant plans;
• Help each young person to develop socially aware behaviour;
• Encourage each young person to take responsibility for their behaviour, in accordance with their age and understanding;
• Help each young person to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;
• Communicate to each young person expectations about their behaviour and ensure that the young person understands those expectations in accordance with their age and understanding;
• Help each young person to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to their age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;
• Help each young person to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;
• Strive to gain each young person's respect and trust;
• Understand how young people's previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with young people;
• Are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of young people, and to help young people to do the same;
• De-escalate confrontations with or between young people, or potentially violent behaviour by young people;
• Understand and communicate to young people that bullying is unacceptable;
• Have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and
• That each young person is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others.

The Service will support young people to maintain a reasonable standard of behaviour that supports their welfare and wellbeing.

The Service’s approach to positive behaviour support:

• Aims to create a safe, caring environment where young people are supported to develop understanding and empathy towards others;
• Ensures that all young people have opportunities to become confident and achieve their full potential;
• Encourages the young person's consultation and participation in setting rules and consequences;
• Ensures that all young people have clear expectations in relation to their behaviour, are supported to understand and to develop alternative positive approaches to challenges within their lives;
• Ensures that all young people understand how positive behaviour is recognised;
• Ensures that all young people are supported to understand the consequences of negative behaviour;
• Ensures that all staff understand and share the principles of positive approaches to behaviour.
• Accepts the individuality of young people and celebrates the diversity of their backgrounds.

The Service will make clear to young people:

• The expectations in relation to their behaviour;
• What will happen if those expectations are not met.

Staff training on behaviour management techniques and strategies will enable them to achieve and develop a more positive relationship with the young person and support them to develop positive relationships with others and develop their self esteem.

Positive behaviour and relationships should be reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed.

Staff should at all times endeavour to:

• Understand factors that affect young people's motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way, including the impact of trauma, to enable them to respond to each young person’s individual behaviour;
• Encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the young person's relevant plans;
• Listen to and empathise with young people, respect their thoughts and feelings and take their wishes into consideration;
• Look for things that are going well, or any step in the right direction, and appropriately praise it. Make sure that young people are aware of the things that they have done well. This should involve prompt verbal feedback, along with clear recording in the young person’s file;
• Where necessary, manage conflict, maintain constructive dialogues and react appropriately if challenged by a young person.