Specialist Support
Our Specialist Support Offer
We understand that ‘complex needs’ often require complex solutions with a personalised approach.
We’re proud of the specialist support that we offer, tailoring the very best support that ensures continuity for their journey ahead.
We provide a holistic package, and our co-produced plans flex to meet the needs of each person as they grow. We work in partnership with external healthcare professionals, therapeutic services, and have our own Specialist Support Team to ensure we are harnessing our full expertise. This is one of the reasons that we’re a safe pair of hands when it comes to supporting people with complex needs, learning disabilities and autism.
Our Specialist Support Team offer a range of input around:
Positive Behaviour Support
Therapies - Speech and Language, and Occupational Therapy
Autism
Active Support, advice and signposting around specific needs e.g trauma informed care, attachment difficulties, and mental ill-health.
Positive Behaviour Support
Positive Behaviour Support is an essential component of our care and education offer and underpins how we support people with autism, learning disabilities, and other complex needs.
At Bright Futures we seek to fully embed a Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) approach. It’s overall aim is to improve the quality of life for people who use care services and special education, and that of those around them. It does this by taking a person centred approach to understanding behaviour to identify and predict when more challenging behaviour is likely to occur. This supports care teams to create personalised intervention plans that support more positive outcomes and interactions which as a by-product results in a reduction in concerning or challenging behaviour.
At Bright Futures we have a dedicated PBS Team that will work with our care and education colleagues to ensure the best possible outcomes for the people we support.
We use a tiered PBS model that means we’re able to change our care and support as individuals needs change.
This diagram gives an indication of who we would expect to be involved at each tier of support.
Active Support
Active Support is an approach to supporting people with additional needs to participate fully in their daily lives. This is a proactive intervention that changes the style of support from ‘caring for’ to ‘working with’, it promotes independence and supports people to take an active part in their own lives.
Active Support builds on the skills and interests people already have. It ensures they have the opportunity to engage with activities they enjoy and the things they already have the skills to do, alongside the ability to extend the range of available activities to be more complex and interesting.
We have a group of Active Support Trainers and are committed to training all our Senior Residential Support Workers to be Active Support Coaches. They can then ensure that their care teams are using these support styles and learnings to enhance the opportunities and lives of the people we support.
Restrain Reduction Network Pledge
At Bright Futures, we are passionate about improving people’s quality of life and minimising the use of any restrictive practices. We are proud to be a member of the Restraint Reduction Network, a registered charity which brings together committed organisations to focus on reducing the use of restraint across the health, education and social care sectors.
At the forefront of the RRN’s purpose is ensuring that people’s human rights are respected and protected. For the people we provide care and education to, that means working together to provide support and solutions to reduce and eliminate the unnecessary use of restrictive practice.
Autism Education Trust (AET) Training Partnership
We are a licensed Autism Education Trust Partner (AET). This enables us to deliver a vast range of high quality training, based on the latest research and good practice recommendations.
The Autism Education Trust (AET) is a non-profit programme led by two national autism charities – The National Autistic Society and Ambitious About Autism, and is highly recognised by the Department of Education as an outstanding evidence based training resource. Our shared vision is a world where all autistic people experience a positive life and education that supports their wellbeing.
Our licensed AET trainers provide a range of autism training. All new staff at Bright Futures have an extensive new starter induction which equips them will all the skills and knowledge required when working with young people and adults with autism. Included in induction is the AET ‘Making Sense of Autism’ course. The remaining courses are delivered as part of the staff members Continued Professional Development, and built around the needs of the people they support.
We are incredibly passionate about sharing and raising awareness about Autism, which is why we also offer our AET training to external provisions such as local schools, university students, general practitioners and many others, to share our knowledge and support professionals in other settings, so that they can provide the best service possible and life experiences for students and the people we support.
STRIVE Programme
Through the specialist STRIVE programme we enable our care teams to facilitate the best outcomes for each individual they support. We focus on what matters to the people we support and their families to create a truly tailored and person-centred approach.
STRIVE encompasses the following aspects of life:
Social
Therapeutic
Relationships
Independence
Vocational
Empowerment
