Our Approach
Above and Beyond Care Devon does not believe that any model or tool holds all the answers for providing the proper care and support that every child or young person needs to grow and reach their full potential. Our ethos encompasses providing individualised, tailored care and positive behaviour support in a home-from-home environment, which reflects a family atmosphere.
We are enthusiastic about providing the care and support to help children and young people within our home become more independent and create a future that opens a world of opportunities for them. We do this through developing and educating children and young people with both social and life skills, enabling them to live safely and productively and to be able to respond flexibly to the demands of the wider world.
We believe that all children, regardless of their circumstances or needs, have the right to equal social and economic opportunities. We aim to support every child to access education, training, and recreational interest at home or in the wider community.
Our Values
Support the development of children and young people.
We are passionate about supporting all our children and young people’s growth and development in all areas of their lives (Academic, emotional, behavioural, and independence). Our motivated team will continue to learn from the children and young people and see them as experts concerning themselves. They will always be on hand to enable children and young people to reach and achieve their full potential through the achievement of short-term targets directed by their own wishes and aspirations.
Providing a safe home environment.
We recognise that part of everyday life is encountering and experiencing risk as we go about our day-to-day activities. Our team members will support and educate our children and young people to have a healthy attitude towards risk.
Children and young people will be given lots of opportunities to participate in new experiences and activities while being encouraged to actively participate and take ownership of their actions regarding risk as a natural development of independence skills.
ABCD is dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of everyone who lives, works or visits our homes. We will regularly seek to take all necessary steps to comply and meet our commitment to legislation by creating the highest possible safety standards.
Providing the highest quality of care for our children and young people.
Children and young people are central to everything we do, and as such, we regularly seek their feedback and involvement in decision-making from the start of their move to our ABCD family.
We promise to treat every child or young person as an individual through the development of holistic care, focusing on the past, present, and future of their journey.
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
History of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) emerged in the 1980s, evolving from Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) due to extreme controversy surrounding the use of aversive consequences with people with intellectual disabilities.
In the last few years, Positive Behaviour Support (otherwise known as PBS) in this document has developed from a process implemented by a small but committed group of people to a movement which is now embedded in government policy. PBS is at the heart of the ‘Positive and Proactive Care’ policy published by the Department of Health in April 2014.
Positive Behaviour Support Model
PBS is a person-centred approach which provides a basis for understanding the message conveyed by behaviour that challenges. It is a framework which supports the development of strategies for people with behaviour that challenges. PBS is based on the principle that behaviour can be changed. The most effective way to change behaviours is by adapting the environment to benefit the child or young people, alongside teaching them positive coping strategies.
Positive Behaviour Support Plans
All our children and young people will receive a functional assessment as part of their care; this will include input from all ABCD team members, children, young people, family, carers, and the multi-disciplinary team of professionals. Identifying the child’s functional behaviour will provide opportunities for proactive and reactive strategies to be developed and recorded with an individual PBS plan supporting the reduction of moments of emotional distress they may display that can lead to behaviours that challenge.
“Beneath every behaviour that challenges there is a feeling and beneath each feeling there is a need, when we meet that need, rather than focus on the behaviour that challenges, we begin to address the cause and not the symptom”
Above and Beyond Care Devon Safeguarding Statement
Above and Beyond Care Devon (ABCD) prioritises the welfare and protection of all our children and young people. We are dedicated to ensuring that safeguarding remains at the heart of everything we do, with open cultures and transparency existing within all our homes so everyone can feel safe and confidently share concerns.
Our commitment to providing safe and effective care for our children and young people is informed by relevant legislation, statutory guidance, robust policies, and good practice guidelines.
To provide the best possible outcomes concerning safeguarding and to ensure that the right action at the right time takes place to keep our children and young people safe, ABCD:
- Follow safer recruitment practices with all adults working within the home undertaking a disclosure and barring service (DBS) check before employment, which is then regularly renewed.
- Have robust governance and monitoring processes to ensure that policy is appropriately applied, practised regularly, and evaluated. Active learning occurs after any challenging behaviours arise for future risks to be minimised.
- Have clear protocols for how the team will work together to keep children safe online by being adequately equipped to understand, identify, and mitigate the risks of new technology.
- Will equip our team members with the skills and knowledge to carry out their responsibilities effectively around Safeguarding through providing comprehensive and mandatory training
- Provide clear commitment and line of accountability by Senior management to the importance of safeguarding and promoting children and young people’s welfare
- Have appropriate whistle-blowing procedures and a culture that addresses issues around safeguarding and promoting children and young people’s welfare.
- Will demonstrate partnership working with children, young people, parents, team members and other agencies for effective information sharing and inter-agency collaboration to safeguard children and young people and promote welfare.
Reporting Concerns
Following ABCD’s safeguarding policy, all team members, external inspectors, and visitors are expected to report any safety and safeguarding concerns they may have immediately.
ABCD recognise, however, that it can be challenging to know what to do if you think a child or young person is at risk. However, it is essential that if you feel or have reason to believe that any child or young person may be at risk of harm, you must inform the Manager or an ABCD team member immediately, who will offer advice and take appropriate action.