Nished Understanding And Supporting Behaviour Essay

Understanding and Supporting Behaviour

Challenging behaviour is defined as any behaviour that affects the physical safety of a person or persons putting them at risk of serious harm or injury that could place individuals in danger or jeopardy.

Four forms of challenging behaviour are:-

Self-harm, using sharp objects to cause injury e.g. cutting slashes skin to cause scars and bleeding.
Withdrawn behaviours, such as; speaking behind a hand, non-verbalisation, having a hood over the head, hiding away in a room, or refusal to make eye contact.
Aggression hitting out at others such as physical attacks screaming, shouting, spitting and punching.
Sexualised behaviours e.g. Masturbation in public or inappropriate displays of sexualisation, unwanted touching or feeling, making unwanted sexual advances to people in public or private areas.

Any display of outward negative behaviour which results in damage to persons, property, buildings or possessions not belonging to the person displaying the challenging behaviour

The above behaviours are commonplace in a work environment for young people in care. Some of the young people have been exposed to the above by parents, carers, guardians or abusers throughout their lives - perceived as challenging because they are not acceptable to society norms.Young people come into care as a result of some form of breakdown in a stable family life, possibly exposed to violence, aggression, physical and emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and failure to thrive.

In a work setting young peoples behaviours are challenging because reactions by humans to heightened stressful situations can cause automatic bodily functions to take over, an adrenaline rush may occur and fight or flight overtakes. This feeling can be experienced when a situation arises that is chaotic or uncontrolled as described above. The flight or fight response, also called the "acute stress response" was first described by Walter Cannon in the 1920s as a theory that animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system. However whilst protecting oneself and assessing situations, there must be excellent communications skills, teamwork, clear and well-rehearsed strategies that can be utilised to enable workers to negotiate, listen and remain calm, which allows the young person to have an outlet to explore their feelings and behaviours to enable them to feel safe, the carer remains in control of situations that can lead to escalated harm or danger. The challenge comes from being able to maintain composure and de-escalating the situation when placed in stressful environments where a positive outcome is required for all concerned

Vygotsky’s theory of development

Vygotsky states cognitive development stems from social interactions from learning within the zone of proximal development as children and partners co-construct knowledge. For Vygotsky, the environment will influence how they think and what they think about.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978).
Applying Vygotskys theory to our work practice assists us in our de-escalation process by adopting the mind-set that the situation is being caused by processes that the young person may have learned from their environment. They may have had to shout and scream to be heard. Witnessed domestic abuse, been the victims of physical or sexual assaults, growing up in surroundings where everyone shouts at one another and there are no calm constructive conversations. There may be alcohol or drug users around young people. Very little social interaction due to parental lifestyles with no morality, life skills or prospects for change due to being raised in a chaotic home environment.
Young people that display behaviours that are challenging weren’t born with these behaviours, there are factors discussed by Vygotsky that can give you a strategy when faced with a situation that could be challenging. Thinking quickly about why this crisis is happening, adopting a calm state of mind and assisting the young person to find an alternative way to deal with emotions and try to assist them to unlearn negative aspects of their personality and attempt to resolve issues in a more socially acceptable, appropriate manner
Bandura (1977) believes that humans are active information processors and we think about the relationship between behaviour and consequences. Observational learning could not occur unless cognitive processes were at work. Children observe the people around them behaving in various ways. This is illustrated during the famous bobo doll experiment (Bandura, 1961).
Individuals that are observed are called models. In society children are surrounded by many influential models, such as parents within the family, characters on children’s TV, friends within their peer group and teachers at school. These models provide examples of behaviour to observe and imitate, e.g. masculine and feminine, pro and anti-social etc. First, the child is more likely to attend to and imitate those people it perceives as similar to itself. Consequently, it is more likely to imitate behaviour modelled by people of the same sex. Second, the people around the child will respond to the behaviour it imitates with either reinforcement or punishment. If a child imitates a model’s behaviour and the consequences are rewarding, the child is likely to continue performing the behaviour. If parent sees a little girl consoling her teddy bear and says “what a kind girl you are”, this is rewarding for the child and makes it more likely that she will repeat the behaviour. Her behaviour has been reinforced (i.e. strengthened).
Third, the child will also take into account of what happens to other people when deciding whether or not to copy someone’s actions. This is known as vicarious reinforcement. (Bandura, A. Ross, D., & Ross, S. A). (1961).
Challenging behaviour can be underpinned by taking into account both theories. It is true young people have many influences around them. Bandura takes a wider view of how models in children’s lives can shape and impact on the way they learn and develop their strategies for coping with situations around them, although theories are similar.
When working with challenging behaviour it is essential to understand what may have happened in the young person’s life that has caused them to learn that, how they deal with their issues is correct and morally acceptable. As social care workers, empathy and the ability to remain, calm whilst the young person is in crisis, assists the young person to not feel threatened and allows dialogue to open. In a care environment the unit should be safe by having limited objects around that may be used as weapons or can be thrown, workers should be aware of their personal space and the young persons. Team teach should be used de-escalation techniques; instruct workers to use talking, open body language, showing open palms and a calm tone of voice. The desired outcome is to prevent a young person going into a crisis state when behaviour can ascend to become unmanageable and team teach holds may have to be utilised to prevent harm or injury both to the young person and staff. Young people may come from a background where externally they have witnessed/suffered domestic, physical and/or emotional neglect. Bandura studies have shown that children will more often than not, copy what they see, and in cases of challenging behaviour a young person will act out this negativity as this is what they may have learned.
If a child displays challenging behaviours they decide, what the reaction is to these behaviours? Displays of negative feelings and expressions of anger in an aggressive manner Bandura would have us believe young people have learned to behave this way by mimicking models around them.

(1230 words)

PART 2: Reflective Log
Section 1- The Young Person

George lost his composure on a daily basis. Raising his voice, puffing out his chest, punching walls and doors. Wanting to fight, displaying outbursts aimed at both gender staff members, loud speech, and refusing/unable to listen to advice or guidance prompts. He had complex ADHD and took medication to regulate his behaviour. He was subjected to physical and emotional abuse from the age of two was given alcohol by his mother and presented with mental health issues.

He came to AA from secure accommodation, his behaviour resulted in him not being able to maintain relationships, attracting people that were needy or were easily manipulated or bullied. He made friends briefly but stole money from them, lied constantly phoned and text them becoming volatile when there was no response from them, subsequently challenging everybody, causing people to stay away from him and relationships breaking down.

His mother died when he was twelve, she was disabled, had mental health issues, and was an alcoholic, and his father was in and out of his life. His mother’s carer he grew up around her intermittently until he was seven. He talked of times when he was taught how to steal alcohol, had objects thrown at him and been around adults abusing alcohol daily. His relationships were aggressive with regular episodes of negative, abusive verbal exchanges between him and family members, usually by phone call. Internal factors that affected his behaviour were the emotional and physical neglect, a lack of secure attachments and the negative models around him. The external factors, a dysfunctional mother. Constant abuse of alcohol and associations with schedule 1 offenders.

The care setting and the team had enough space to allow George to express himself, it contributed in resolving the incident/s, as the weeks passed he began to feel safe and showed a little respect for his environment and the staff, which resulted in fewer outbursts, there would always be outbursts as he expressed himself the only way he knew how. Talking therapies and de-escalation techniques enabled him to learn to leave the unit and take a short walk, allowing him to calm down instead of punching walls or doors. George was supported by staff being calm and allowing him to express his emotions, maintaining a composed environment and communicating. After the incident debriefing to discuss ways in which he could deal with issues in a more appropriate manner ,which allowed conversations to develop which were trusting, and enabled George to begin talking about his past.

(415 words)

Section 2- Your Role

His behaviour at times make me feel helpless, it was volatile and sometimes impossible to contain him due to noise, violence and the length of time it may take to get himself under control. Feelings of disbelief of situations he had been in, that had caused him to be so vile, the stress he would put himself under when he felt out of control with people, situations or rules. Emotions like empathy, anger, frustration, and sadness were regularly felt. It became clear he was a very damaged young lad.

I didn’t always feel brilliant after shifts with him as it was very stressful and exhausting... I had a supportive manager, for the most part good workers alongside me; I received regular supervision but sometimes felt as though I never wanted to work with him. I feel good about myself as I worked with him for six months and he did improve somewhat, I developed skills that I will use when working with young people who display the same or similar behaviour.

The methods of intervention used were relaxed stance, open body language, questions, trying to get eye contact
George responded better if you were in front of him asking him to concentrate on you and taking time to talk him down, asking him to think if his behaviour is going to make the situation any better, can we talk so we can try and think of a better way for you to express yourself so you don’t get stressed. (Talking communication)If you could get eye contact he would talk but at the same time not realise he was actually processing things much better, his processing skills were a real issue due to complex ADHD and other mental health issues. (Body language, using eye contact, not staring or confrontational)

SSSC Codes of Practice Sections 3and 4 all sub – numbers are key pieces of legislation that are used to underpin my practice.

We are trained in Team Teach techniques designed to use interventions available depending on situations. We are expected to use our skills based on national care standards that should be followed by all social care workers.

AA have an holistic approach to care, giving young people choices, expression, empathy and emotional warmth in stressful and difficult situations, keeping safe and free from harm including team members. The teamwork approach was consistency in all aspects of Georges care. Firm boundaries, structured days, zero tolerance to abuse, with praise and reward for positive behaviour and achievements. Staff discussing and implementing strategies that were successful and if risks presented, care plans updated and new information relayed to the team.

(436 words)

Section 3- Evaluation

The intervention was non-confrontational, calm and supportive, irrespective of the levels of behaviour displayed. These interventions had been used with some success in keeping him safe, free to express his opinion, included and showed minor improvements in his behaviour.
The interventions used were adequate as they allowed staff time to calm him and attempt to negotiate; often time’s disengagement was the only intervention available, as he would to get louder and more abusive if he was crowded. Although it was useful as an intervention as George learned that it was alright to be angry but that staff were not prepared to facilitate his aggressive, offensive and threatening behaviour.
I have learned to accept you cannot help every child, some are so damaged it may take years for them to recover from abusive environments/parents. There is nothing that I would change as regards my practice, I felt I did an appropriate job under extremely difficult circumstances, some are staff weren’t ideal for him as discussions with his psychiatrist explained the need for boundaries and set structures. Inconsistent staff allowed George his own way, which gave him control resulting in him choosing which staff was on shift, manipulating them and, staff going against the medical advice. Shifts became very stressful and difficult, George had the power over every aspect of the day to day care that he wanted and received, he became volatile with staff that were following guidelines and protocols.
I feel the only thing that should have been changed was accepting him to AA, it was not the correct placement for him, he wasn’t socialised, coming direct to AA from secure. He had a lengthy history of ascensions, engaging in activities that were putting him at risk of harm, with numerous care placements ending due to the inability to keep him safe.

Care plans contain guidelines about how to deal with behaviours such as transportation, placement in the vehicle, staff ratio, what are the interventions used are there any risks to personal safety, interventions to reduce absconding, comments, situations from the young person’s perspective, protocols used at crisis point, and when police intervention will be sought. The care plan is a working document and is reviewed regularly to ensure it changes as events happen, staff immediately informed of new interventions or strategies added to the care plan.
It should support the young person by discussing the plan with them and agreeing on strategies that will be used in relation to all aspects of the care they will receive.
(418 words)

Johnson, R,C (1969).Child Psychology; Behaviour and Development. John Wiley & Son inc.

Bandura, A. Ross, D., & Ross, S. A. (1961). Transmission of aggression through the imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63, 575-582

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

www.team-teach.co.uk