Behaviour support plans

What is it?

Behaviour support is based around understanding and creating positive plans for individuals who may have behaviour that challenges or harms. It is based on an assessment of the social and physical environment in which the behaviour happens. Once this information is collated, a Behaviour Support Plan (BSP) can be created.

A BSP includes the views of the individual and everyone involved and uses this understanding to develop support that improves the quality of life for the person and others who are involved with them.

Why is this area of work important?

The creation of a BSP enables staff working with a child or young person to be consistent in their responses and allows responses to be planned in ways which encourage and reinforce positive behaviours whilst addressing behaviours that challenge.

Purpose

A BSP should clearly identify the child or young person's behaviour. The BSP should highlight and clearly define both positive behaviours and the methods to sustain them, as well as any behaviours that challenge or harm.

It is important that the context of when and where the behaviour occurs is clearly understood and recorded, this allows for the behaviour to be analysed and triggers to be identified. Behaviour analysis tools can be used for this - tools such as trackers, roots and fruits and ABC charts can be accessed through this Steps Behaviour Toolkit.

The goal is to understand the function of the behaviour (e.g., to gain attention, escape a situation etc).Once the function of the behaviour is understood, strategies can be implemented to meet the function of behaviour. Both proactive and responsive strategies should be clearly defined in the BSP.

• Proactive Strategies: Strategies to prevent the behaviour (e.g., modifying the environment, teaching new skills).
• Responsive Strategies: Strategies that respond to the behaviour as it occurs (e.g., de-escalation techniques, physical intervention, restrictive physical intervention).

How it works

Effective BSPs reinforce positive behaviours and address behaviours that challenge or harm.

Effective behaviour plans incorporate the following information:

• A picture of the child or young person (CYP)
• Name of child or young person
• Year group or DOB
• Date of creation and review
• Name of author

They should also incorporate:

Areas of strengths

• Can be academic, personal, social or emotional.
• Hobbies out of school.

Motivators

• What helps the child or young person in moments of escalation or crisis?
• What distracts or diverts them? 
• What helps to regulate them?

SEND stage

• No SEND?
• SEN support?
• EHCP referral/assessment/plan?

Areas of need

• Social Emotional or Mental Health / Cognition and Learning / Communication and Interaction / Sensory and/or Physical
• Any diagnoses
• Can include assessments e.g. INDES, Boxall Profile, Cognitive assessments etc.

Child or young person's voice

• How does the child or young person feel about school?
• What do they enjoy/not enjoy?
• Who helps them at school?
• What parts of the day are better/worse for them?
• What lessons are better/worse for them?
• Can they talk about their behaviours?
• What helps them the most?
• What makes things worse?

Presenting behaviours that challenge or cause harm

• What behaviour has been seen?
• What behaviour is foreseeable?

Possible triggers

Consider how certain places, specific situations, people, activities, changes, sensory issues etc can trigger behaviour.

Positive behaviours

Include the positive behaviours which the child or young person is working towards e.g., following instructions safely, accessing and engaging in learning, taking turns etc.

Possible functions

Escape, sensory, connection, tangible, predictability?

Differentiated measures to proactively promote / support positive behaviours

'First and then', 'working for' boards, visual timetable, visual aids (feelings charts, zones of regulation, fix it board), social stories, use of visual timers, task breakdown, Autism friendly environment, modelling, sensory circuits, sensory breaks, PATHS, Thrive approaches, home / school communication.

Physical presentation

Behaviours, body language, facial expression, language, tone of voice, levels of engagement.

What we will say and do to regulate behaviours and reinforce positives

Positive reinforcement approaches used. Examples may include:

• Reward / recognition
• Positive scripts
• Sensory time
• Adult check ins/ timers
• Time with an emotionally available adult

First signs of escalation

• List specific behaviours including body language, facial expression, language, tone of voice, levels of engagement e.g. avoids eye contact, clenches fists, lowered voice, swearing, rude gestures.
• Followed by what we will say and do to de-escalate/divert.

Behaviours that challenge

Followed by what we will say and do to de-escalate/divert.

Behaviours that harm

Followed by what we will say and do to de-escalate/divert, reduce harm.

De-escalation and restore / repair / reflect

• How do you know the child or young person is calming? e.g. body language, facial expression, language / tone of voice / behaviours.
• Consider what behaviours you may see if the child or young person is still in the phase where it is likely that they could re-escalate if demands on them are placed too soon or if they are asked to discuss the incident.
• Include timings of how long it takes the child or young person to calm on average and when best to offer debrief.

Monitor and review

• BSPs should be reviewed regularly to ensure that they remain representative of the child or young person's behaviours and needs.
• BSPs are good sources of evidence to show progress and how reasonable adjustments have been made for the child or young person.
• It is important that all BSPs are shared with those working with the child or young person to ensure a consistency of approach is adopted to reinforce positive behaviour and reduced behaviours that challenge or harm.

What support is available? 

Norfolk Steps

• Norfolk Steps provides training and resources to help schools and settings with early intervention and prevention strategies to support positive behaviour. In addition, Norfolk Steps provide behaviour management techniques to respond to behaviours that challenge and/or harm.
• Norfolk Steps have also developed a Behaviour Toolkit which includes further guidance on how to create a BSP along with example plans, behaviour trackers and other guidance. 

Trauma Informed Schools

Norfolk steps principles and exercises align with Trauma Informed practices. Trauma Informed Schools provides further information. 

Whole School SEND

Whole School SEND have developed a series of free online CPD units designed to support those who work with children and young people in schools and settings to deliver an inclusive experience for every learner. Modules of specific note are:

• Unit 1: Creating an emotionally safe environment
• Unit 2: Creating a socially safe environment
• Unit 3: Creating a physically safe environment
• Unit 8: Understanding behaviour as communication
• Unit 9: Promoting mental wellbeing in your setting
• Unit 12: Supporting sensory differences in the learning environment

Key contacts

If you would like some talk to a member of our team for additional support and guidance, then please contact us on 0333 313 7165.