How our PBS Champions are improving the lives of people who display behaviours of concern

Hear from our Behaviour Support Team Manager, Leanne Smith, about our PBS Champion initiative and how it’s improving care for the people we support.

Our PBS Champions are instrumental in improving quality of care, through their role in delivering Exemplar Positive Behaviour Support (EPBS) level 1 training, promoting the implementation of PBS approaches, and facilitating a reduction in restrictive practice.

It’s also a great opportunity for our colleagues to develop their skills and grow in their role.

Around 60% of the people we support have come from a failed placement with another care provider, often due to them displaying behaviours of concern.

This can be very distressing for the individual and their loved ones.

We aim to end the cycle of failed placements through developing highly skilled teams with the expertise and skills to support people’s complex needs.

We introduced the PBS Champion role to support this.

Our PBS Champions are advocates and role models in our homes.

The role involves:

• organising and facilitating EPBS level 1 training sessions in their home and other nearby homes

• ensuring that their home meets and maintains EPBS training compliance

• promoting and encouraging the implementation of EPBS strategies and approaches

• being a role model, offering coaching, guidance and signposting to colleagues

• promoting and supporting the completion of relevant documentation

• assisting in the development of behaviour support plans and risk assessments

• promoting the reduction of restraint and restrictive practices.

Being a PBS Champion is an extremely rewarding and important role.

In it, you’ll get:

• satisfaction from making a real difference to people’s lives

• an additional £1 per hour for all hours worked

• access to ongoing learning and development

• opportunities to share and demonstrate your best practice with other PBS Champions

• opportunities to develop and progress in your career.

As the organisation grows, it’s likely that there’ll be more opportunities to deliver training and support the team.

If we recruit for the central Behaviour Support Team, the candidate will likely come from our pool of PBS Champions.

Our PBS Champion role is highly skilled.

If your application is successful, you’ll have full support and training from our Behaviour Support Practitioners before you start the role.

Our eight to ten week training programme ensures that you learn the required techniques, skills and knowledge.

You’ll attend face to face training with our Advanced Practitioners to learn the content of the training you’ll be expected to deliver.

You’ll then shadow training sessions, before delivering any sessions yourself.

At every step of the way, we’ll provide encouragement and feedback so when you reach your final week, you’ll be signed off as a fully-fledged PBS Champion and you’ll be confident in your new role.

To keep your skills up-to-date, you’ll attend a two-day refresher course every year.

Any of our care home-based colleagues can apply to become a PBS Champion.

To become a champion, you’ll:

• have a vocational qualification in education or health and social care, or be willing to work towards one

• have been continuously employed in a support or care role within education, health or social care for at least two years

• be able to travel, ideally with use of a car

• have excellent communication skills, able to engage and motivate people

• have good digital skills.

Our learning and development opportunities enable and encourage you to develop and progress in your career. Read about our learning and development opportunities.