Position Description

Position Behaviour Support Practitioner (paid 5+1 internship pathway for psych students)

Reporting to: Senior Behaviour Support Practitioner

Hours: Full Time and part-time positions available 

Location: 

Salary: 80k-100k dependent on experience + super 

Benefits:

• Company car provided for full-time employees.
• Internship pathway for psychology students. Clinical supervision and training program provided which meets AHPRA requirements. 
• Professional development budget.

Behaviour support

Behaviour support is about creating individualised strategies for people with disability that are responsive to the person’s needs, in a way that reduces the occurrence and impact of behaviours of concern and minimises the use of restrictive practices.

Under the NDIS Commission, behaviour support focuses on person-centred interventions to address the underlying causes of behaviours of concern or challenging behaviours, while safeguarding the dignity and quality of life of people with disability who require specialist behaviour support.

About the role

Specialist Behaviour Support Services specialise in working with individuals with complex needs who engage in behaviours of concern. We provide individualised assessment, intervention and training to teams and organisations to reduce the risk of harm and create positive, sustainable outcomes.

You will conduct Functional Assessments to create Behaviour Plans. Of critical importance is your ability to connect to people, to listen with non-judgment and reflect critically. Your aim is to support children and adults with complex and/or unpredictable behaviours to participate fully in life and achieve their clearly defined goals.

As our Behaviour Support Practitioner, you will be delivering high level, evidence based clinical advice and assistance to participants living with a disability and their families. Through the creation, implementation and education of positive behaviour support plans, your person-centred approach will focus on reducing the impact of challenging behaviours to enhance the quality of life for our participants.  

                            Primary Objectives 

• To assist individuals and their families to identify their needs through assessment and individual planning, to develop meaningful goals and practical strategies to meet their goals in their home and community.
• To work in a multi/trans-disciplinary model with a range of allied health professionals to provide a holistic and integrated approach to supports.
• To provide clinical advice and guidance to individuals, families, and support staff
• To develop strong collaborative relationships with government and non-government service providers for ongoing support.

Position Responsibilities Performance Measure Daily Duties 

• Develop and implement individually designed customer related support plans within specified timeframes.
• Work with complex participants.
• Hold a case load of up to 15 participants.
• Plan, deliver and evaluate behaviour supports relating to the individual’s needs in line with relevant legislative and ethical requirements.
• Plan, implement and review training and Behaviour support plans for participants, support staff, families and carers in positive behaviour support and specialist topics as required.
• Actively promote Forbes Clinical Services Vision, Mission, Values and Strategy in everyday work and in the community.
• Follow, contribute, and work in a culture committed to continuous improvement of the Forbes Clinical Services work environment.
• Uses thorough and advanced professional competence to support customers with problem solving and decision making about their needs and expectations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide coaching, modelling, and support to families, support staff and managers to ensure the effective implementation of support strategies.
• Undertake assessments to identify factors of challenging behaviours.
• Develop and implement intervention strategies in consultation with individuals and families.
• Provide evidence-based treatment and clinical knowledge, expertise and support to individuals and their key support network.
• Plan, deliver and evaluate behaviour supports relating to the individual’s needs in line with relevant legislative and ethical requirements.

Service Delivery                                

• Undertake comprehensive assessment and analysis of behaviour to inform development of behaviour support plans and strategies in accordance with assessment findings and the needs of the person with disability.
• Employ the principals of evidence-based practice to all service delivery.
• Collaborate with the participant, their families, carers, guardians, and other stakeholders in the development of behaviour strategies to maximise the quality of service in line with the assessed needs.
• Monitor, review and evaluate support strategies to ensure they are implemented correctly and consistently in order to improve the quality and effectiveness of the behaviour support systems.
• Share knowledge and experience through collaboration and training to help staff use positive behaviour support strategies and minimise the use of Restricted Practices to ensure good work practice.
• Working knowledge of human rights based approaches in the disability sector, including policy and legislative requirements relating to Restricted Practices.
• Monitor and analyse incident trends to identify service improvement opportunities. Participate in on-call roster.

Clinical Services

• Independently apply advanced clinical reasoning skills.
• Maintain high clinical standards and utilise evidence-base practice in relation to behaviour support.
• Maintain strong links with other organisation and health providers. Use collaborative methodologies to develop clinically effective and efficient strategies that meet the complex needs of participants.
• Teamwork with a transdisciplinary approach including participation in Group Clinical Supervision and team development opportunities
• Work positively and collaboratively as a member of a multi-disciplinary team and respect team values and participate in learning and development opportunities.
• Supervise and train assistants, students and less experienced Practitioners when assigned, ensuring the maintenance of professional, clinical, ethical and WHS standards. These form core requirements of the practitioner.

Stakeholder Relations

• Build and maintain strong relationships across a broad range of stakeholder groups.
• Liaise with participants and their families.
• Communicate flexibly in an appropriate and accessible manner.

Policy & Procedure

• Deliver behaviour support in line with Forbes Clinical Services policies and procedures. Assist to build systems, practice and procedures to consolidate the Mercy Connect brand and service delivery

Professional Development

• Engage in regular supervision and mentoring sessions to support your professional development ongoing learning.
• Keep abreast of sector development including participation in relevant industry associations and conferences. Undertake relevant training which will ensure development of skills.

What are we looking for?

Forbes Clinical Services is looking for someone that has:

• Relevant Tertiary qualifications in: Psychology, Social Sciences, Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Behavioural Sciences, or board-certified behaviour analyst (BCBA) or a similar field.
• Eligible for NDIS registration to provide Specialist Behaviour Intervention
• Experience in providing clinical and/or behaviour assessment, intervention and support in the disability, out-of-home-care and/or homelessness sectors;
• Applied knowledge in relation to current trends in clinical practice as it relates to the treatment of adults and children with intellectual disabilities; complex communication and behavioural support needs; and developmental/ complex trauma;
• Direct experience working with people with intellectual disabilities, out-of-home care or homelessness services, ideally including direct care experience;
• Demonstrated skills and experience in behaviour analytic skills
• Direct experience working with challenging behaviour, intellectual disability, and autism
• Exceptional communication skills including high level written skills, the capacity to impart knowledge and an ability to motivate others;
• Demonstrated capacity to quickly engage different groups of people, in a variety of contexts, and with differing levels of engagement;
• Demonstrable skills in reflective/ critical thinking as well as an ability to think quickly and be responsive to meet tight time frames;
• Demonstrated skills and experience in intervention planning, design and delivery;
• Initiative and the capacity to work autonomously;
• The ability to work as part of a Multidisciplinary Team, maintain a team identity and build relationships with colleagues who may be working across various locations;
• A strong client focus and commitment to learning and ongoing professional development;
• A current Driver Licence;
• A willingness and ability to periodically travel within Australia to regional areas