Positive Relationships and Behaviour Support

Children in the Home are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on:

• Mutual respect and trust;
• An understanding about acceptable behaviour; and
• Positive responses to other children and adults.

In particular, the registered person will ensure that staff:

• Meet each child's behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child's relevant plans;
• Help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;
• Encourage each child to take responsibility for the child's behaviour, in accordance with the child's age and understanding;
• Help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;
• Communicate to each child expectations around their behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;
• Help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child's age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;
• Help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;
• Strive to gain each child's respect and trust;
• Understand how children's previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;
• Are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;
• De-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;
• Understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and
• Have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and
• That each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others.

Children should be supported to understand how to build friendships with other children. They should be able to spend time with their friends in the local community, in their home area, and by having friends visit them at the Home, in line with the child’s plans, age and understanding.

Arrangements for time with friends will be set out in each child’s care plan at the point of admission. The care plan will include details of known friends, addresses and how each child will be supported to maintain friendships. Homes staff will refer to children’s plans to ensure they are promoting relationships in line with what has been agreed with the child and placing authority Social Worker. Staff should understand and help children to understand what makes a healthy, nurturing relationship. Staff should be skilled in understanding the range of influences that friendships can have and should encourage those with a positive impact and discourage those with a negative impact. Staff should be skilled to recognise the signs and provide support to children in danger of or involved in exploitative or damaging relationships with others and where possible prevent these types of relationships.

Each child will be allocated a key worker who specifically champions the child in the roles of ‘Family’ and ‘Relationships’. This is put in place for each child to ensure all children receive support in forming and maintaining relationships with family, friends and others who are of importance in their life. Arrangements for time with friends will be kept under review to assess the influence of friends and any risks posed to children from those they have formed relationships with.

Homes staff will report any concerns they may have in relation to friends or associates the child may have both in the home and community. The Homes manager will respond to any concerns reported by Homes staff that will be discussed with children and their placing authority Social Worker. Any changes to arrangements will be agreed in partnership with children and their placing authorities. Children will be supported to understand and manage any changes to arrangements or restrictions in place to reduce any risks posed to them from friendships they form. Changes to arrangements will be recorded in the child’s care plan that will be updated in line with what has been agreed with each child, their placing authority and Homes manager.

In the case of children who have, or are likely to, sexually offend, the Home should establish the extent to which friendships can be supported, in line with the child's relevant plans and subject to the safety of all concerned.

The Homes manager will be made aware of any known or potentially harmful sexual behaviour at the point of referral. The Homes manager will assess whether the home can meet the needs of the child and safeguard them and others from risk of actual or potential harm.

The Home is committed to an holistic approach that draws on established theoretical bases, research, best practice and guidance in order to promote and develop positive behaviour.

The Home’s approach to behaviour support:

• Aims to create a safe, caring environment where children are supported to develop understanding and empathy towards each other;
• Ensures that all children have opportunities to become confident and achieve their full potential;
• Encourages the child's consultation and participation in setting rules and consequences;
• Recognises that some behaviours can present as aggressive, violent or destructive at times and that staff will be supported to regulate, understand and support the child with these behaviours whilst providing the child with continuing acceptance and emotional support;
• Focuses on building a good relationship with the child based on mutual respect, trust and an unconditional acceptance of the child;
• Establishes house rules and boundaries with the child which are consistent, explicit and where possible, applicable to all children in the Home;
• Understands and acknowledges the past life experiences which children bring into the home;
• Uses age and developmental stage appropriate consequences but only as necessary and not as routine. Consequences will be logical and linked to behaviour. Children will be supported to complete these consequences;
• Provides support and training to the staff to support them in their role;
• Encourages staff to celebrate success with the child so that the child can experience joy in their relationships and reward the child  appropriately;
• Accepts the individuality of children and young people and celebrates the diversity of their backgrounds.

The quality of relationships between professionals, staff caring for the children, the children and their parents (as appropriate) is crucial to this approach.

Staff play an important part in the day-to-day life of a child, and will be trained and supported in establishing positive relationships with children and in managing behaviour, including behaviour which may be challenging at times.

Staff training on behaviour support will enable them to achieve and develop a more positive relationship with the child and a more harmonious life and will enable the child to feel good about themselves. The development of safe, stable and secure relationships with staff in the Home is central to the ethos of the Home and supports the development of secure attachments that, where appropriate, persist over time.

The capacity and competence of staff to build constructive, warm relationships with children that actively promote positive behaviour, provides the foundations for managing any negative behaviour. Where positive relationships exist between children and staff this should be respected and maintained as far as possible when making any decisions to alter staffing arrangements. The registered person should respond to children's views about changes to staff and be aware of the potential impact this may have for the child’s stability and emotional well-being.

Positive behaviour and relationships should be reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour should be discussed with the child.

Staff should at all times endeavour to:

• Understand factors that affect children's motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way to enable them to respond to each child’s individual behaviour;
• Encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the child's relevant plans;
• Listen to and empathise with children, respect their thoughts and feelings and take their wishes into consideration;
• Look for things that are going well, or any step in the right direction, and appropriately reward it;
• Use rewards in a creative and diverse way, specific to children's needs, capabilities and interests. This may mean that children are rewarded with activities or rewards that they enjoy. But all 'tangible' rewards should be accompanied by use of 'non tangible' encouragement and support – by staff demonstrating to children that they have done well. Such 'non tangible' rewards include smiling and praising children;
• Make sure that children and young people are aware of the things that they have done well.  This should involve prompt verbal feedback, along with clear recording in the child’s file.  All ‘tangible’ rewards will be clearly identified;
• Where necessary, manage conflict, maintain constructive dialogues and react appropriately if challenged by a child in their care.

The PACE model can help staff work successfully with a child. Using PACE helps adults to slow down their reactions, stay calm and tune into what the child is experiencing in the moment. It supports adults to gain a better understanding of what the child is feeling. In difficult moments it allows adults to remain emotionally regulated to guide the child through their heightened emotions, thoughts and behaviours. In turn, PACE helps children to feel more connected to, and understood by important adults in their life and ultimately slow down their own responses.

PACE stands for:

Sometimes 'L' for Love is included, making PLACE.

The Home will have house rules, routines and rituals which set out the expectations for how things are managed within the Home. Helping the child understand these rules, routines and rituals helps the child have a sense of understanding, belonging and safety.

On being placed children will be given the homes Children’s Guide that sets out some basic rules that apply to all children living in the home. Each child will be appointed a keyworker who will explain the house rules that will be captured in key working. A copy of the house rules will be kept in the office for homes staff reference, and available to each child’s placing authority. House rules will be revised regularly in consultation with children in house meetings and with homes staff in team meetings to review the effectiveness of rules in place and make any revisions that children will be made aware of prior to any changes being implemented.

• Treating each child with understanding, dignity, kindness and respect; building, protecting and preserving positive relationships between each child and the adults caring for them;
• Understanding each child’s behaviour to allow their needs, aspirations, experiences and strengths to be recognised and their quality of life to be enhanced;
• Involving children and relevant others wherever practical in behaviour support;
• Supporting each child to balance safety from injury (harm) with making appropriate choices;
• Making sure the child’s rights are upheld.

Before a child is admitted to the Home, the placing authority will provide information on the following as part of the placement planning process:

• Any previous behaviour that challenges (including violence and aggression);
• A description of the behaviour, including any triggers so staff can identify whether there are any patterns of behaviour.

Staff in the Home should also ascertain the following:

• What intervention and support have been used to manage the behaviour?
• What interventions and support have had positive outcomes?
• What interventions and strategies triggered further acts of aggression or violence?
• Whether additional specialist support e.g. from Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) is required.

The Home will work closely with the placing authority to understand the child's relationship history and the impact that the child's arrival may have on the group living in the Home.

Based on information received from children’s placing authorities, an impact assessment will be completed by the homes Manager at the referral stage, that will assess suitability based on group dynamics, risk to other children and homes staff, and the capacity of the home to meet each child’s needs and manage any risks.

The Home will maintain effective working relationships with local youth justice and police services where children living in the Home have targets to achieve in reducing offending or socially unacceptable behaviour.

The home will work closely with the single point of contact (SPOC) for the police local to the area the home is located. Children placed in the home will be made aware of who the local SPOC for the home is and their role. The SPOC local to the area the home is located will be invited to visit the home when they are in the area to establish and promote good relations with children and staff.

Where children have involvement with local youth justice homes staff will support children to attend meetings and complete any restorative justice. Children will be helped to understand the impact of offending or social unacceptable behaviour on their lives and that of others.

The Home will work closely with health and education professionals to ensure that outcomes identified and progress made by children in building relationships and achieving socially acceptable behaviours can be recorded and measured.

On being placed children will be registered with a GP, Dentist, and Optician in the locality, and attend initial appointments with health professionals to identify any health needs. All appointments with professionals will be recorded on the child’s relevant plans, including any follow up needed to promote their health and development.

Where children need additional support, the home will liaise with other services such as mental health, charities and local groups and will support children to engage.

Children living in the home with have education, health, care plans (EHCP) along with personal education plans (PEP). These plans will identify any learning needs children may have and how these needs will be supported. Plans will be reviewed by the homes Manager in partnership with relevant professionals. The homes Manager will ensure EHCP’s and PEP’s are in place for all children in the home and escalate under Regulation 5 (working with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met) if they are not.

The Home’s manager should:

• Ensure all staff are provided with training on how to de-escalate conflict and confrontation and manage aggression and potentially violent behaviour (see Use of Restraint and Physical Intervention);
• Undertake written risk assessments and develop strategies for managing any behaviour that challenges in individual cases.

The child’s Care Plan should outline strategies/support for managing and promoting positive behaviour. If necessary, there should be a separate detailed Behaviour Support Plan/Risk Management Plan.

Each child living in the home will have individual care, behaviour management and risk management plans. Initial information in these plans will be informed by that received from the placing authority prior to the child being placed in the home. The homes Manager will develop plans for each child that will be reviewed in partnership with children and relevant agencies at statutory reviews or, after any incidents to identify if any additional strategies are required to care for children and safeguard them and others from risk of harm. Homes staff will refer to each child’s plans to ensure they are providing care and protection in line with agreed protocols and procedures set out in children’s plans.

See also: Risk Assessment and Planning Procedure.

The Home’s approach to positive behaviour support ensures that:

The Home provides an environment and culture that promotes, models and supports positive behaviour.

A healthy dialogue is in place so changes to rules can happen as the child matures or if these rules are no longer needed for example later bed times etc.

Homes staff are required to have a thorough understanding of their Duty of Care to the children they support that they will be made aware of as part of the induction process. Both Homes staff and children will be made aware of expectations of standards of behaviour set out in the children’s guide that children will be provided with prior to or on admission to the home that Homes staff will support children to understand.

Children are enabled to build trusted and secure relationships with adults who are looking after them. Staff, who know the children well, listen to them, invest time in them, protect them and promote their welfare. Children are enabled to develop an appropriate sense of permanence and belonging.

The home will be adequately staffed to meet the needs of children living in it. Arrangements for staffing will be agreed in partnership with the child’s placing authority at the point of referral to support permanence and reduce breakdown. Children will meet Homes staff prior to placement to begin the process of establishing relationships and be allocated a dedicated keyworker who will work in conjunction with the child’s Social Worker to undertake specific work identified in the child's care plans. 

The care and help from staff assists children to develop a positive self-view and to increase their ability to form and sustain attachments and build emotional resilience and a sense of their own identity. This care and help also supports them to overcome any previous experiences of neglect and trauma.

As part of the induction process Homes staff will be trained in attachment theory and adverse childhood experiences (ACES) to understand the importance of attachment in forming and maintaining relationships with adults and peers, and how adverse childhood experiences (ACES) impact on children’s health and development.

Life story work will be undertaken with each child for the purpose of building a record of their lives in words, pictures and documents. Information about children’s culture, religious background and identity will be included to build self-esteem and strengthen their family and cultural heritage.

Access to in-house therapeutic services via the Children and Family Support Team can be sourced for any child living in the home where the need has been identified.

All staff receive training in positive care and support of children, including training in de-escalating problems and disputes.

Homes staff will all be trained in the PACE Model (Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy) to deescalate any situations resulting from difficulties or disputes. Homes staff will also be trained in Team Teach (Non-Aggressive Physical and Psychological Intervention). This strategy will only be used as a last resort, once all diversionary and diffusion techniques have failed. Homes staff will strictly observe the restriction involving non-permissible measures and will only employ techniques as part of their professional training in Team Teach.

The Homes manager will ensure staff receive refresher training yearly and will test the competency of staff by running practice sessions where staff must demonstrate their ability to diffuse situations in line with prescribed techniques. Conflict management is used effectively by staff and includes the appropriate use of restorative practices that improve relationships, increase children's sense of personal responsibility and reduce the need for formal police intervention. Proactive and effective working relationships with the police help to support and protect children. Staff work with the police to protect children from any unnecessary involvement in the criminal justice system.

Homes staff will use trained de-escalation techniques to reduce the need for formal police intervention. Where there may be need to involve police, Homes staff will notify the Homes manager who will advise what action is to be taken prior to any communication with police authorities. Any communication and actions will be documented on an incident report, the child’s daily report and homes central log.

Children are encouraged and helped to develop skills and strategies to manage their own conflicts and difficult feelings through developing positive relationships with staff. There are clear, consistent and appropriate boundaries for children.

Boundaries in the home will be applied in a fair, understandable and consistent manner by Homes staff. Children will be supported to understand boundaries on admission and be included in any review of boundaries and rules in place, and implementation of them upon review. Children receive help and support to manage their behaviour and feelings safely. Staff respond with clear boundaries about what is safe and acceptable and seek to understand the triggers for behaviour.

Homes staff will support children to work through their behaviours, recognising that for many children these challenging behaviours are a way of communicating the emotional challenges they face. Key working and restorative/relational practice sessions will allow children to be able to reflect on their behaviours and understand how these behaviours can have a significant impact on their lives and the lives of others.

Positive behaviour is promoted consistently. Staff use effective de-escalation techniques and creative alternative strategies that are specific to the needs of each child and planned in consultation with them where possible.

Where it has been necessary to deploy strategies to manage/deescalate behaviour a review of the incident will take place and be suitably timed for when the child has had a chance to recover, whilst ensuring the incident is still fresh in their minds. This is designed to support the child in exploring their behaviour and considering other ways of dealing with feelings in the future.

Staff receive support on how to manage their responses and feelings arising from caring for children, particularly where children display behaviour that is very challenging, and understand how children's previous experiences can manifest in behaviour that challenges.

Homes staff will be supported to manage their responses and feelings through reflective formal supervision and debriefs with the Homes manager or, senior staff that will take place as soon as practically possible after an incident has occurred. The Homes Manager and senior staff will be trained in supervision of staff as part of their induction. Where it is identified that Homes staff need additional support this will be provided through further supervision and/or training. 

Any consequences used to address behaviour that challenges should be natural, logical or restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour and the staff in the Home should be skilled in supporting the child to understand this and carry it out.

Natural – are consequences from actions that are natural e.g. child touches a hot stove, they will burn themselves. In circumstances where the child has” naturally” learnt from their actions no consequence should be given.

Logical – are consequences that have cause and effect and should be related back to safety or helpfulness e.g. a child who runs with scissors could lose use of scissors until able to use them safely.

Restorative – are consequences given to repair harm e.g. child/young person uses hurtful words they could write a letter of apology to person affected by their actions.

Equally, staff should understand the system for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour and recognising where children have managed situations well.

The Home Manager must monitor, evaluate and review the use of consequences and that the consequence used has been appropriate.

The effectiveness of consequences should be reviewed to ensure consequences are an effective tool and to help identify any patterns in behaviour. If the consequences are not working alternative methods should be applied.

The review of the appropriateness, and effectiveness, of any additional measure should include the opinion of the child that the measure relates to.

Consequences should be recorded in the Consequences and Reparation  Record and placed on the child's record.

The record should contain the opinions of the child. If they are not willing to give an opinion then the record should evidence the time and date that their opinion was sought that should also be and recorded in the homes central log for cross referencing.

Where relevant, a decision should be made between the staff member, the manager and child about whether to report matters to the police, see Offending and Anti-Social Behaviour – guidance on when to involve the Police Procedure.

Whenever an act of violence or aggression has occurred, the Home’s manager should ensure that both staff and the child concerned are allowed to discuss the incident and its impact on themselves and others in the group.

Managers should:

• Undertake a review and make necessary changes to internal policies, routines and children’s care, behaviour and risk management Plans to help with reducing or preventing incidents from occurring in the future;
• Discuss with staff how they dealt with the situation and, if required, how they could deal with the situation differently in the future.

Following incidents, debrief meetings will be held with children and homes staff to gather information for informing and developing positive behaviour support and management. Meetings will be recorded in incident recording and staff supervision to capture learning and any amendments to practice and protocols.

Formal supervision of homes staff will be used following incidents to ensure staff are supported to understand, reflect on and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children. Homes staff have a duty to attend and contribute to any formal supervisions and appraisals to monitor performance for appropriate support to be put in place.

Should any concerns be raised by a child in relation to the practice of staff during incidents the homes Manger will conduct an investigation to determine what if any actions may be needed to safeguard both the child/ren and staff. Concerns should be reported to the child’s placing authority Social Worker, and the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). Any communication, advice or actions with partner agencies will be recorded and actioned by the Homes manager.

The Home’s manager should collate data from incidents and periodically undertake a review. The Home’s policies, training strategies, routines and methods for promoting positive behaviour amongst children should be revised as required.

If the level of risk is such that the continuing placement of the child is threatened, or may be at risk of coming to an end, the Home’s manager must draw this to the attention of the child’s social worker and Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), who may decide to convene a strategy meeting, or Child Looked After Review.

Legislation, Statutory Guidance and Government Non-Statutory Guidance

Positive and Proactive Care: Reducing the Need for Restrictive Interventions - Department of Health and Social Care

Guidance: Positive Environments Where Children Can Flourish (Ofsted)