About Us
What is the PBS Community of Practice?
This website is the North East and North Cumbria Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) virtual Community of Practice. This is a network of people who are interested in developing PBS in our region and improving the lives of people with a learning disability and/or autism with behaviour that challenges.
About the community of practice
The PBS Community of Practice is part of the North East and North Cumbria region’s initiatives to transform care for people with learning disabilities and/or autism. This is part of current government policy to develop community services and close inpatient facilities for people with a learning disability and/or autism who display behaviour that challenges, including those with a mental health condition
How did the PBS community of practice develop?
Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) and/or its elements are recognised as best practice in supporting people with learning disabilities and behaviours that challenge (e.g. NICE [NG11], 2015; NICE [NG93], 2018; Positive and Proactive Care, 2014). However, there is an acknowledgement that we need to support families, staff and commissioners to develop skills and knowledge in this approach.
In 2015, the PBS Academy (formerly PBS Coalition) published The PBS Competence Framework which provides detailed information about what people need to know and do to provide PBS for those with behaviours that challenge. Currently, there is little guidance about how best to support people to learn this knowledge and skills and no agreed standards about the training requirements or qualifications/experience individuals or services need to have. Consequently, the quality of PBS provision is often poor. In the North East and North Cumbria, building the capacity of the workforce to support people effectively in the community is a priority for transforming care. PBS is a key strand of this workforce plan and substantial work has already been undertaken to look at what needs to happen to facilitate this. The Community of Practice has been established as a vehicle to develop the knowledge and skills required to implement PBS effectively, to share best practice and to drive up the quality of PBS across the region.
