Overview
Meeting the Challenge of Challenging Behaviour
Are you a manager, carer, teacher, or frontline worker supporting children or adults in Ireland’s care and support services? Do you want to develop effective strategies to handle challenging behaviours with confidence and compassion?
This practical and insightful programme is designed to equip you with the tools to create and implement Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) plans that focus on proactive, evidence-based, and non-aversive approaches. You’ll explore the root causes of challenging behaviours, learn to apply ethical and emotional best practices, and develop strategies that promote positive outcomes for all involved.
Who is this course for?
This programme is ideal for:
✅ Practitioners and care staff
✅ Teachers and special needs assistants
✅ Clinicians and service providers
✅ Anyone working in support or care settings
What will you gain?
By completing this course, you will:
✔ Reflect on the ethical and emotional aspects of supporting vulnerable people
✔ Develop, implement, and evaluate multi-component behaviour support plans
✔ Learn proactive and reactive strategies to manage behavioural challenges
✔ Collaborate with peers through mentoring and professional supervision
✔ Critically assess research and ethical considerations in behaviour support
This course will give you the confidence and skills to tackle behavioural challenges effectively while ensuring the best outcomes for those in your care.
Join us and make a real difference in the lives of those you support!
To provide specific training in dealing with complex behavioural issues for people working in the Intellectual Disability, Special Needs, Youth, Early Childhood, and Education sector for practitioners in Intellectual Disability services in regionally and nationally. To develop services’ capacity to respond to complex behaviour needs including behaviour that challenges services.
Self Awareness
The learner will consider their own position in relation to working with vulnerable people and discuss the role of teamwork, supervision, emotional awareness and ethical responsibility. The learner will keep a reflective learning journal to record their own journey.
Supervision
Theory, functions and issues of supervision and the learner will ensure they have adequate supervision while on the course.
Ethical Responsibility
Theory, practice and consider an ethical issue/dilemma discuss and reflect and relate to own professional development.
Mentoring
Theory and practice of mentoring in relation to the workplace
Implementing a Positive Behavioural Support Model
Behavioural Assessment – This will include observations over a period of time, noting usual behaviours and any changes. These may include particular incidents that may be regarded as challenging. Examination of sexual harmful behaviours (if present) as an aspect of behaviour that may be challenging. Functional Analysis – Antecedents, Behaviour and Consequences (ABC). Possible hypothesis forming for function of particular behaviours. Ecological Assessment – Appraisal of the environment highlighting possible reinforcing properties, triggers. Definition of negative and positive reinforcement. Quality of Life Issues - Holistic appraisal of client’s current living experience highlighting any Quality of Life issues relevant to Person Centred Planning. Relevant environmental changes and opportunities for community participation to inform intervention planning. Person Centred Partnership Approach Life Skills Coaching with clients where required. Behavioural Management Strategies – Evaluate proactive/reactive approaches: De-escalating, life space interviews, mindfulness, managing emotional aspects, self care. Intervention Development, Implementation and Review – Design a multi-element positive behaviour support plan based on the behavioural assessment and functional analysis of the behaviour. The plan should incorporate the personcentred goals, seek to overcome social exclusion and actively promote community inclusion. Devise intervention, implement, record what happens and review. Use learning journal to record learning in the process. Post-Programme Planning- Record a plan to support the focus person (identified client) in the future and ensure continuity with the client. This should include future plans to maintain Quality of Life improvements for the client, their relationships and the environment they inhabit. Develop own personal skills: Academic study: basic academic research using library, IT skills, teamwork
Entry Requirements
All applicants will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Lifelong Learning reserves the right to require applicants to attend for an interview to determine their suitability for the programme.
RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning)
All programmes are mapped to the SETU Carlow Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy https://www.itcarlow.ie/resources/quality/quality-policies-procedures.htmand applicants who wish to apply using this route can request the specific RPL for this programme.
SETU Carlows RPL Policy offers clear pathways to the learner for recognition of previous learning undertaken and offer every credit to the learner in completing such learning.
The Programme Board will be responsible for the assessment of entry standards and applications as part of any RPL Process.
Students will have full access to a range of supports available online and through Blackboard, our virtual learning environment. These include our new online programme, PACE, which is designed to support students to access and effectively use library resources in order to complete assignments. Additional supports include an Academic Writing Centre and Maths Support Centre, freely available to all students.