POLICY

include Policy > Behavioural Management

Introduction

Young people who access include projects often have multiple and complex needs. Anti-social behaviour may well be a feature of their lives to date. include's Behavioural Management Policy is based on the concept of positive reinforcement. At the heart of the Policy is the principle of respect for oneself and others, involving a range of strategies and techniques which are supported by verbal and positive communication. The approach is exemplified by an ethos of non-physical intervention.

Purpose of the Procedure

To ensure safe and effective practice in dealing with difficult to manage behaviour for those staff working directly on include projects.

Who Should Apply the Procedure and Why

For all delivery staff who have direct contact with young people accessing the projects.

Operations/project managers are responsible for ensuring that the policy is adhered to by staff employed via outsourced contracts.

Performance Standards

All staff and volunteers will be advised of include's Policy during their induction and will be expected to comply with this procedure at all times.

All young people will be advised of include's expectation of their behaviour during their initial induction.

Strategy

include aims to turn difficult and disruptive behaviour into more positive attitudes and socially appropriate behaviour.

include's approach to behaviour management has two key strategies:

  1. Cognitive Behavioural Approach – a general approach to changing attitudes and behaviour with respect to peers, adults and society in general (see Associated Documents).
  2. Behaviour Management Strategy – utilised by staff and employing the ABC approach to situation specific incidents.

The Procedure

Cognitive Behaviour Approach

Working as part of a team and taking responsibility for personal actions are the key building block of all include projects.

Essential elements for include projects are founded on key life skills, especially:

  • Team work.
  • Tolerance of others.
  • Circle of change.
  • Decision making.
  • Self-respect and motivation.

Personal development criteria, which is one of the major components of include projects, is designed to support students in developing and sustaining more positive behaviour patterns. Students are encouraged to pursue their strengths and interests and to gain accreditation for their achievements.

Work experience placements require a sustained period of appropriate behaviour and commitment to task.

include systematically monitor individual behaviour and personal development issues. During the initial discussion stage, prior to the commencement of the course, students discuss with the project manager attitudes to such issues as physical violence, threatening behaviour, defiance, disruption, racism and sexism.

The include APR (the system used by project managers for Assessment, Planning and Reviews) requires staff to record a student’s involvement with other agencies such as Social Services or YOTs.

The APR also records details of behaviours in the following areas:

  • Listening.
  • Staying on task.
  • Working independently.
  • Self-esteem.
  • Tolerance toward others.
  • Dealing with anger.
  • Dealing with praise.
  • Asking for help.
  • Dealing with disappointment.
  • Developing and maintaining friendships.
  • Relating to adults.
  • Disruptive behaviour.

Project managers are also required to record evidence of the following types of behaviour:

  • Bullying.
  • Violence.
  • Inappropriate sexual.
  • Inappropriate sexual verbal.
  • Substance misuse.
  • Self-harm.
  • Group disruption.
  • Verbal aggression.

The weekly personal tutorials received by every include student serve also to monitor behaviour and address problems as they occur by discussing and recording the appropriate actions required. The APR review procedures are a further checking mechanism on individual behaviour and personal development.

Behaviour issues need to be dealt with promptly by project managers and their line managers. Regular contact is maintained between project managers, students, parents and carers. Regular home visits should be made to provide best practice and good opportunities for discussions over appropriate behaviour.

Where there are persistent or serious concerns over a student’s behaviour include works with other outside agencies. These may specialise in issues such as substance misuse and anger management, etc.

Behaviour Management Strategy

On the premise that any behavioural incident will have the following elements which appear in a linear sequence.

The ABC elements are:

A - Antecedence - the trigger.

B - Behaviour - positive or negative.

C - Consequences - positive or negative.

All include staff should have access to the underpinning information (see Associated Documents) which will enable them to understand the ABC process and employ the appropriate behaviour management responses.

As a result of this process associated with any incident, the following should occur:

  • Setting and implementation of appropriate sanctions.
  • Debriefing to staff, young people and the line manager.
  • Completion of forms: Incident Report Form and Accident Report Form.
  • Appropriate information sharing internally.
  • Liaison and feedback to referring agency.

For serious incidents, the project manager must adhere to the Disciplinary Procedure set out in the student contract.

External Provision

Responsibility for the behaviour of students when in a mainstream setting lies with that particular agency, it’s staff and include's project manager. Students are subject to the disciplinary code applied to all students within the external providers setting:

  • In the classroom - joint responsibility between tutor/external lead person and project manager.

Incident Procedure

Report from external agency staff to project manager.

  • Project manager to investigate report.
  • Discussion with external agency staff as to appropriate action.
  • Home visit, parents/carer notified by project manager if appropriate.
  • Action Plan to re-engage young person.
  • Action Plan and SMART goal set by project manager.
  • Action Plan agreed by all parties.

Further Action

  • Review of Action Plan (behaviour) on needs basis (daily, weekly, monthly) with young person external agency staff and project manager.
  • If further action is required the student will then follow the external agency disciplinary procedure. If exclusion is the result include will attempt to provide an alternative provision.

Associated Documents

  • Cognitive Behaviour Approach – Module 11 – Working with Young People at Risk of Social Inclusion (available via The Core)
  • Behavioural Management – Module 1 – Working with Young People at Risk of Social Inclusion (available via The Core)
  • include Behaviour Management Toolkit (under development)
  • include Incident Report Form (no electronic version available)
  • Include Accident Book
  • Learner contract and disciplinary procedure (see WP 1.6 - include E2E Contract)