How to plan and create high quality supports

A bulletin document with a person supporting someone with disability on it. Next to the document is a glowing lightbulb.

In this bulletin, we look at another idea from the research about positive behaviour support.

A person being supported by two other people.

An important part of providing high quality supports is understanding the experiences of:

  • the person the support is for
  • the other people who support them.

High quality supports should:

A person pointing to themself with their other hand raised. Next to them is the scales of justice.

  • respect the rights of the person you are supporting

A research document with a tick on it and a magnifying glass focusing on it.

  • be based on evidence and research of what works well.

High quality support for what people need

A person supporting someone with disability. They have an icon showing quality next to them, and an arrow pointing in 3 different directions above them.

Research shows that high quality support can be different depending on how much support:

  • the person with disability needs
  • the people around them need.

3 bars at different levels with an icon showing quality next to them.

The research explains how to give high quality support across 3 different levels.

We explain these levels on the following sections.

Level 1

A person supporting someone with disability. They have an icon showing quality above them.

This level of support focuses on creating a high quality environment that gives people the support they need.

This includes:

  • people with disability
  • the people around them.

A person with disability having a conversation with a provider. The person with disability has a speech bubble with a tick and a cross in it.

A high quality environment should support people to have choice and control over their own lives.

A person with disability being supported by someone. They both have a happy expression.

This kind of support works to make sure people feel happy and safe.

Level 2

A person supporting someone with disability. Above them is a calendar pointing backwards.

This level of support focuses on finding out how to best support people as early as possible.

This includes supporting the people around them.

A person with an upset expression. Next to them is a problem icon.

This works well for people who have:

  • high support needs
  • behaviours of concern.

A person with their hand raised and a problem icon above them. Next to them is a group of people with a problem icon above them as well.

Behaviours of concern are things someone does that might put:

  • themselves in danger
  • other people in danger.

A speech bubble with a person supporting someone with disability inside it. Next to the speech bubble is a cross.

This is how a person with disability might communicate that something in their environment isn’t supporting what they need.

A magnifying glass with an importance icon next to it.

It’s important to find out what support they need as early as possible.

And to provide this support.

Level 3

2 people supporting someone with disability. Above them is a problem icon.

This level focuses on giving a lot of support to people who have:

  • high support needs
  • behaviours of concern.

A diverse group of people.

This includes supporting the people around them.

A group of people working together around a desk. Above them is an icon of a person supporting someone with disability and 4 arrows pointing outward from them.

It might mean the person needs:

  • lots of different types of support
  • all the people around them to work together.

Using evidence to make decisions about support

A person reading documents in a folder. They have a thought bubble with a tick and a cross in it.

An important part of positive behaviour support is using evidence to make decisions about what support is best for a person with disability.

An evidence document with a person supporting someone with disability on it. Next to the document is an icon showing quality.

High quality evidence can show what support a person with disability needs.

A person with disability being supported, a group of people, a professional with an icon showing quality next to them, and a researcher with a magnifying glass.

Evidence can come from:

  • a person with disability
  • the people around them
  • professionals
  • researchers.

A diverse group of people with a glowing lightbulb above them.

Evidence needs to include the ideas and experiences of:

  • people with disability
  • the people around them.

A person with disability pointing to themselves with their other hand raised. Next to them is an evidence document with a glowing lightbulb on it.

For example, ideas about what support a person with disability:

  • needs
  • wants.

A glowing lightbulb with a thumbs up next to it.

When collecting evidence, it is important to be open to different people’s ideas and experiences.

A person having a conversation with someone to get evidence, a folder of evidence documents, and a magnifying glass.

It’s also important to collect evidence in different ways.

An icon showing quality, and a person comforting someone else.

This includes finding a balance between:

  • collecting high quality evidence
  • not making people uncomfortable.

A group of people working together at a table. Above them is a person supporting someone else, and a thumbs up.

This helps everyone work together to:

  • understand what support a person with disability needs
  • better support what a person with disability needs.

A person with a concerned expression. They have a thought bubble with a person showing behaviours of concern in it.

Someone might find it hard to understand:

  • why a person is using behaviours of concern
  • what support they need.

A person comforting someone else.

People should work together to help each other better understand this.

A speech bubble with a thumbs up in it, and an importance icon next to it.

It is important to think about the stories people have about a person’s behaviour.

A group of people thinking about how to support a person with disability.

People should think about what the evidence shows about:

  • what support a person with disability needs
  • how to support what they need.

A person reading a document. They have a thought bubble with a person supporting someone with disability inside it. The person giving support has their hand raised.

This also includes using evidence to understand what the people who support a person with disability need.

A professional writing down ideas and experiences. Around them are speech bubbles with glowing lightbulbs in them.

People should work to include the ideas and experiences of:

  • the person with disability
  • the people around them
  • many professionals.

A person thinking carefully about a decision. They have a speech bubble with a person supporting someone with disability in it, and a tick next to it.

This will help people make decisions about what support is best for a person with disability.