Consensus partner with Surrey County Council to launch two important new initiatives
Consensus were delighted to be part of a launch at the House of Commons on 23rd October of the Surrey Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Network’s two new initiatives – the Quality Experience Tool and Positive Behaviour Support Coaches Programme.
The Rt Hon Tom Brake MP introduced the event and expressed his interest and full support of the initiative as did Ray James, National Director of Transforming Care who saw it as a major step forward in helping meet the Agenda and its ethos. 100 people attended the launch including MPs, providers, people with learning disabilities, families, care professionals and organisations affiliated with learning disability and challenging behaviour.
The Surrey PBS network encompasses family, carers and professionals from different backgrounds and organisations, including Consensus, who all believe we can support people better by working together. The group has been sharing their skills and experiences for some years including more recently as part of Surrey’s Transforming Care process, driven by Surrey County Council to develop quality of life initiatives for people with learning disabilities and autism who may present challenging behaviour.
Consensus were chosen to partner Surrey County Council alongside six other social care providers on their Transforming Care process because we demonstrated experience and expertise in successfully applying positive behaviour support to people with complex needs and challenging behaviour. Through our membership of the Surrey PBS Network, we subsequently became a key contributor to the two new initiatives that have been developed and launched.
Belinda Robison, Head of Development and Partnerships, Consensus South, was present at the launch and said, “Consensus are proud to have been part of this partnership project. PBS is a proven approach to improving the quality of life of people with a learning disability and or autism who may present challenging behaviour. The more people who understand and apply PBS, the better people’s lives will be.”
Our PBS practitioner for the area was very involved in developing the Quality Experience Tool, in part drawing on in house tools we already utilise within Consensus, alongside other members of the Network. The tool measures quality across six ‘Outcomes’ including person centred support, understanding and responding to a person’s behaviour. The tool supports services to demonstrate their strengths and capabilities, identify areas for further development or specialisation and recognise that one size does not fit all when it comes to providing support.
The Quality Experience Tool encompasses best practice approaches and standards drawing on the nationally developed PBS Academy service standards which are endorsed by Skills for Care, British Institute of Learning Disabilities and NHS England.
Coupled with this, we also worked collaboratively with other providers and the network on developing the PBS Coach Training Programme to enable more support colleagues to be trained in PBS and to be able to design and implement preventative and proactive plans which will enhance the lives of people with learning disabilities, autism and behaviour that may challenge.
The Surrey PBS Network is making the Quality Experience Tool available, free, to all providers who have services in Surrey, as part of an ongoing commitment to developing top quality support for Surrey residents and families. It is hoped in time that there will be possibilities to roll this out as a national initiative.