Behaviour IS Communication
Our Behavioural Supports Program
The Behavioural Supports Program at Care Human Services is designed as an additional service provided for Individuals with Complex Needs supported in our Residential Supports Program. Typically a third-party service, Care Human Services is very proud to offer a Behavioural Supports Program in-house to further benefit our Individuals and their support teams.
What to expect
When an Individual enters our Residential Supports Program, the Behavioural Supports Team goes into the home and completes a Functional Assessment. The purpose of the functional assessment is to identify behaviours of concern and their root causes. Once a functional assessment has been completed, the Behaviour Supports Team will develop a Behavioural Support Plan (BSP). The BSP contains a range of strategies that not only focus on the behaviours of concern, but also in ensuring the Individual has access to things that are important to them.
From the BSP, the Behavioural Supports Team can develop protocols for program staff and families to follow to help them further improve the quality of life of the Individual. For example, if an Individual is non-verbal and their behaviours of concern stem from the frustration of not being able to communicate, the protocols for that Individual will focus on alternate means of communication such as sign language or drawing.
It is the responsibility of the Behavioural Supports Team to continuously evaluate and assess the effectiveness of the protocols in place for each Individual. Based on the outcomes of these assessments, protocols can be maintained, amended, removed, or replaced.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. First and foremost, Care Human Services acknowledges and supports the Rights of our Individuals and ensures that those rights are clearly communicated to the Individual and adhered to by everyone within our organization.
The Behaviour Supports Program is based on the Positive Practices approach. This approach demonstrates positive behaviours to the Individual that that they can use to replace the behaviour of concern. These positive behaviours are encouraged through repetition and desirable outcomes. There are no punishments for behaviours of concern that exceed the natural consequence of the behaviour i.e. not being paid for missing work.
Absolutely. People are constantly growing, changing, and adapting to the environment around them. The Individuals we support are no exception to this. New behaviours of concern can develop due to any number of factors including, but not limited to, life events, new relationships, or changes in environment. Some behaviours of concern may only be seasonal in response to the stresses of holidays or important anniversaries.
This is why it’s essential for the an Individual’s support staff to clearly communicate changes in behaviour, both positive and negative, to the Behavioural Support Team so that the Individual’s Behavioural Support Plan (BSP) can grow, adapt, and change with the Individual.
