Support Networks, Not Just Behaviour Practitioners

A Behaviour Support Plan on its own doesn’t change much. The strategies can be evidence-based, the goals person-centred, and the language compassionate. But if a plan is simply emailed to a family or a supported accommodation provider with no conversation or context, it’s unlikely to land the way it needs to.

I’ve seen this happen.

For example: A participant moved into supported accommodation and their BSP was handed to staff at handover. No discussion. No training. No explanation of the “why” behind the strategies. Weeks later, nothing in the plan was being followed. Not because the staff didn’t care, but because they didn’t feel ownership. They didn’t understand how the strategies connected to real-life shifts in the house. The plan sat in a folder while day-to-day practice rolled on as usual.

Instead of blaming, the better approach is to gather the whole support network. The house staff, the person being supported, the family, the behaviour support practitioner, the coordinator, everyone who plays a role. Best practice is a lot of back and forth sat around a table over a few visits and pulling the plan apart together. Staff get to explain what feels unrealistic in the routines, the person being supported shared what actually felt supportive, and the family gets to add their perspective on what had worked at home.

In this example, we rewrote sections of the plan until every person could see themselves in it.

The shift was enormous. Staff no longer felt like strategies were being imposed on them. They understood why things mattered. They had a say in shaping how support looked in daily life. And because of that, they followed through.
Months later, the difference was clear. The person being supported felt safer and more predictable support. The family saw consistency across home visits. And the house staff, once sceptical, started reporting that the environment felt calmer and easier to manage.

A Behaviour Support Plan is only as good as the network of people who bring it to life.