Intensive Behaviour Support Teams
Intensive Behaviour Support Teams fact sheetDisability Services Queensland's Intensive Behaviour Support teams work with people with a disability who exhibit challenging behaviour.
Teams work with the person with a disability, their families and carers to better understand what is important to the person with a disability and how their support networks can best support them to achieve their preferred lifestyle while keeping themselves and others safe. This focus is on prevention and positive behaviour support.
Services are tailored to an individual's needs and are based on a multi element behaviour assessment.
Teams develop strategies to achieve short-term behaviour change as well as promoting improvements in the long-term skills and capacity of the person, their family and carers.
Plans are developed with the person with a disability, their families, carers and service providersWhat do we mean by 'challenging behaviour'?
The term 'challenging behaviour'1 is used to describe the behaviour displayed by a person with a disability that has the potential to harm themselves and those around them.
To understand why a person is exhibiting challenging behaviour, their history and the environment in which they live and the supports they receive must be considered.
Disability Services Queensland defines challenging behaviour as:
"Culturally abnormal behaviour(s) of such intensity, frequency or duration that the physical safety of the person or others is likely to be placed in serious jeopardy, or behaviour which is likely to seriously limit use of, or result in the person being denied access to, ordinary community facilities."
What is intensive behaviour support?
The work of the Intensive Behaviour Support teams is based on three central goals:
- facilitating and promoting the prevention of challenging behaviour
- encouraging the development of natural and informal community-based responses to the needs of people who exhibit challenging behaviour
- identifying, providing and coordinating formal behaviour support and intervention services.
Some of the services provided by the teams are focused on the specific needs of the person with a disability. Other services, such as consultancy and education services, aim to increase the capacity of the service provider or community to support the person with a disability who exhibits challenging behaviour.
The Intensive Behaviour Support teams provide different service types dependent on the assessed needs of the situation and support network and can include any one or combination of the following:
- information regarding challenging behaviour and related issues
- intensive behaviour support and intervention, which includes behaviour assessment and development of a comprehensive support plan
- direct intervention through the delivery of specialised services, for example counselling, training or psychological services
- consultation and outreach for a short period when support is needed by people with a disability, families, carers or service providers outside an Intensive Behaviour Support team’s geographical service boundary and/or where support services, families or carers are just needing some additional input to assist with a situation.
- education and training to support families and service providers and build capacity.
Who is eligible to receive assistance through the Intensive Behaviour Support teams?
To be eligible for Intensive Behaviour Support you must live in Queensland and:
- be 18 years of age or older
- have a disability that is attributable to an intellectual, psychiatric, cognitive, neurological, sensory or physical impairment or a combination of impairments that is permanent or likely to be permanent, and is present before age of 65
- as a result of this impairment have a substantial reduction of capacity in one or more of the areas of communication, social interaction, learning, mobility or self care/management
- as a result of this reduction in capacity, have significant and ongoing need for support
- have a substantial history of challenging behaviour and high and complex behaviour support needs
- live in a community based setting with a support network of family, carers, or service providers who are able to assist in the implementation of behaviour support plans.
You must also be one of the following2
- an Australian citizen
- a permanent Australian resident
- a Temporary Protection Visa holder
- a New Zealand citizen who arrived in Australia prior to 26 February 2001
- a member of a family on a work or study visa sponsored by the Australian Government.
Referrals
Referrals may be made directly to the team in the region where the person with a disability lives.
For more information about the Intensive Behaviour Support teams, please contact your nearest Disability Services Queensland office. See the fact sheet for a list of offices.
1(Emerson, E., Challenging Behaviour, analysis and intervention in people with severe intellectual disabilities, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2001).
2As outlined in the Disability Services Queensland Eligibility Policy.
Last updated November 2008