Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is embedded in all our services. PBS is a multi-faceted framework for understanding and supporting people who display behaviours of concern. By understanding the context in which these behaviours occur we can implement proactive, evidence-based strategies to enhance all areas of an individual’s life. The PBS approach has a strong values base, keeping the person at the centre and promoting valued social roles for people in society.

PBS training for our staff 

All staff in our PBS Services are trained in PBS and Active Support approaches to ensure they are embedded in day to day life. Many of our current PBS support workers are trained in Makaton and have experience of supporting people who are non-verbal or who use VOCA systems. Our Senior PBS Support Workers are allocated to individuals and become the lead person in the care and support, ensuring up-to-date paperwork is in place, and providing seamless communication to family and professionals. Our support teams are also used to engaging with external professionals, and welcome input from them. We understand that some people will need additional aids, due to physical disabilities, and we have built up good relationships with Occupational Therapists who have supported our teams to make environments more user friendly. 

As a member of the British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD), Aspens believes that to improve the quality of life, independence and autonomy of the people we support, Positive Behaviour Support must be a cornerstone of our ethos and values.

Our PBS team 

Meraud Davis, BCBA, Regional Area Manager for PBS and Specialist Services

My name is Meraud and I am a Board Certified Behaviour Analysts.  I have worked for the organisation for over 10 years now, initially for Autism Sussex, and now for Aspens.  My back ground is in Early Intervention and SEN Education and I have a passion for supporting people to learn and develop new skills. 

Since working for Aspens I have developed a small but excellent team of PBS Specialists and PBS Practitioners who support the organisation with all of their behaviour support needs, whether that is skills building, improving quality of life, or supporting when things aren’t going as well as they should.  We always work from an evidence based approach – we love collecting data and can get very excited by a well presented graph!!  We have a PBS strategy which we are embedding across the organisation and we continue to be proud of what we achieve.

 

In more recent years we have developed a growing number of PBS Supported Living services, designed to meet the needs of people with complex needs. This is an exciting new area of growth for the organisation and is being supported by the highly skilled and dedicated PBS Operational Team.  We understand the importance of providing safe homes in the community for those who need high levels of support or who are at risk of hospital placements, and we have successfully demonstrated that we are able to develop these services under a PBS framework.

We have exciting plans for the future including developing our training offer and providing consultancy to other organisations – we are always happy to hear from colleagues so get in contact if you think we could work well together or would like our support.

Ollie Payne, Behaviour Specialist

Ollie has a background in Neuroscience, supporting people 1-1 with brain injury on their rehabilitation journey and has completed a Psychology Bachelors degree and a Cognitive Neuroscience Masters. He will be starting the MSc in ABA at the Tizard Centre shortly, which he says "is going to be an amazing opportunity to develop the skills that I am already learning through my work".  Ollie is very keen on fitness and keeping a healthy mindset in daily life. He is passionate about boxing and mixed martial arts and when not working out you can find him sitting in the garden reading a book.

Ollie says "As a PBS Specialist, I maintain regular contact with services and help them understand behaviour of concern, build knowledge about autism and PBS and implement strategies across the service to give the people we support the best quality of life. I love PBS as I like the functional side of the assessments and talking with the people we support and the staff team. I enjoy working together with the people at Aspens and those who use our services. I find the best part of the job is being in services and building and maintaining rapport with the people we support and the teams."

Megan Bruce PBS Transition Coordinator

My role is to successfully support the transition of individuals into their new homes. It involves developing positive

relationships with the individuals and their support network, including families, MDT’s and professionals. I lead on the referrals process and attend the roundtable meetings, acting as a point of contact for social workers and commissioners. I attend all meetings for an individual moving to be supported by Aspens, and book transition sessions in their respective locations, introducing new staff as their bespoke team is created. As part of my role, I am involved in service development, helping to identify suitable services; Quality assurance, promoting best practice and ensuring it is implemented at all times; Resource management, participating in the recruitment of staff as required; Service delivery, embedding PBS throughout all areas of the service and ensuring delivery of person-centered care, supporting services that promote independence, choice and dignity and acting to promote the best interest of the people being supported. My favourite part of my role is that I have the opportunity to build rapport with such fantastic people, and watch them flourish in an environment that is suited to their needs. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to maintain a professional relationship with the people I have supported to move into their own homes and hear all about the opportunities they have gained from their move.

                                                   Scott Sutton, PBS Practitioner

As a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner I am responsible for supporting with the design and implementation of function-based interventions for the people we support. I work under the guidance of our PBS Specialist team and I am responsible for a specific case load of individuals. I provide quality training and coaching within the service, working with the PBS Lead support workers and also help support them with completing their PBS courses. My main goal as a PBS practitioner is improving quality of life through skills teaching and being engaged in meaningful activities. It’s also about understanding that behaviours of concern are a form of communication, they are trying to tell us that their needs are not being met and it’s up to us to find out how to support them better. PBS is evidence based, so I am able to see the progress being made in real time and can tell if a strategy I put in place is working or not working for the person we support. The most rewarding part of the job is definitely the smile on a person we support’s face when they accomplish a new skill for the first time, like making a cup of tea.

Kim Harris, PBS Practitioner

As a PBS Practitioner, I work alongside the services teams and the Senior/ Positive Behaviour Support Leads. I help create PBS plans, behaviour monitoring forms, active support participation records, I do observations, data analysis, provide training and much more. I believe PBS is the new way forward within care and many other settings such as, schools and hospitals. Since I have started my PBS journey, I have had some of my greatest achievements and they have been reminders of why I love my job and PBS.

PBS Service’s Team

Nikki Wells, PBS Senior Service Manager

Lauren Dolbear, PBS Deputy Manager

Dani Prior, PBS Senior Support Worker

My role as senior positive behaviour support worker is very rewarding. I am responsible for a person we support overall life such as activities/trips, health and wellbeing, and maintaining family relations. I work closely with a positive behaviour support practioner to think and input ways to empower the persons potential and build on their quality of life. Indoor activities include practical things such as making the bed and washing up but also sensory toys, baking, cooking and gardening. Outdoor activities are tailored around the person we supports interests or things that can bring them safely into the community for example swimming lots of the residents love going it’s great exercise, builds rapport with staff but also a good opportunity for them to make friends. I love my job because you make an impact on someone’s life for the better and the feeling you get seeing behaviours decrease and there life more meaningful is great!

James Ajayi, PBS Senior Support Worker

Sena Yildirim, PBS Senior Support Worker

Jacob Boast, PBS Senior Support Worker

David Adeyanju, PBS Senior Support Worker

I am David Adeyanju, and working as a senior behavior support worker has allowed me to make a positive difference in helping individuals manage their behaviors and enhance their quality of life. By collaborating with other positive behavior specialists and practitioners, we are able to share ideas, knowledge, and expertise to improve the effectiveness of the support we provide. This field of behavior support brings me joy through the ability to make a difference, build meaningful relationships, work as a team, and engage in continuous learning.

Chamu Magaya, PBS Senior Support Worker

Olamide Osungbade, PBS Senior Support Worker

Being a senior positive behavior support worker is a truly fulfilling and impactful profession. It allows me to make a positive difference in people's lives by assisting them in developing skills, achieving their goals, and promoting positive behaviors. Witnessing the progress and growth of the individuals I work with brings me immense joy and fulfillment.