Disability Justice Project

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Positive Behaviour Support and Disability Justice

Course type

One-day, face-to-face course.

Who attended?

This introduction to positive behaviour support training was designed for front-line workers and their team leaders or line managers – people who are dealing with concerning behaviour and want to learn ways to support behaviour change, to understand their role, as well as who they can contact to get support for sustainable positive behaviour change.

Course Description

The one-day training course provided participants with an introduction to positive behaviour support (PBS), as well as how it connects directly to people with a cognitive impairment and the criminal justice system, through an evidence-based approach.

Positive behaviour support explores why the person has a need to engage in that behaviour. It’s about learning how to support the person so they no longer have a need to engage in challenging behaviour.

Difficult behaviours are messages that can tell us important things about a person and the quality of his or her life. People who sometimes engage in challenging behaviours are actually telling us something is wrong or missing, and they need help to make it better. The focus of the course was to build support for people with a cognitive disability and the people who support them.

In summary, the course addressed:

  • Understanding that behaviour serves a legitimate function to the person
  • The function of that behaviour
  • Culturally informed practice
  • The interaction of behaviour, offending and cognitive impairment
  • The benefits of PBS – why use it and who benefits
  • Understanding behaviour through a cultural lens
  • Practices that enhance PBS
  • Your role in PBS
  • Where to get support in PBS

Course materials

  • The following course materials were provided and are available for download:

Positive Behaviour Support – Facilitators Guide (to provide the trainer with how the course was to be delivered)

Positive Behaviour Support – Participant’s Notes (for the attendees to take away)

Positive Behaviour Support – PowerPoint Slides

  • Links to Videos used During the Course:

Rights Under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability