Positive Behaviour Support

Positive Behaviour Support at Zeno

At Zeno, Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is at the heart of how we care. Our approach is rooted in understanding each individual—why behaviours happen, and what those behaviours are communicating. We take into account a person’s full story: their life experiences, health, environment, and emotional wellbeing. This helps us shape meaningful support strategies that reduce distress, build trust, and enhance quality of life.

PBS at Zeno is not a standalone intervention—it’s fully embedded in our culture. Our dedicated PBS team works across all our services, providing expert guidance that’s responsive, practical, and tailored to each person. By collaborating closely with support teams, we ensure early identification of behavioural, emotional, or psychological needs and deliver proactive, person-specific plans that empower both individuals and staff.

Supporting Complex Needs
Many of the people we support have complex needs and may have experienced difficulties in previous care settings. At Zeno, we respond with compassion and curiosity—not control. Our PBS team works flexibly and creatively to reduce behaviours that challenge, including self-injury, by understanding their root causes, adjusting environments, and supporting individuals to develop alternative ways to communicate and express themselves.

Training, Collaboration & Prevention
Our frontline teams play a key role in maintaining positive daily interactions and responding to behavioural challenges calmly and respectfully. The PBS team provides targeted training to equip staff with the confidence and skills they need to respond effectively—and in ways that always protect dignity and promote wellbeing.

Importantly, our PBS approach is also preventative. We run individual and group sessions focused on emotional awareness, coping strategies, and psychological wellbeing, helping individuals to build resilience and lead fuller, more independent lives.

Understanding Behaviour, Teaching New Skills

PBS focuses on identifying the underlying reasons behind challenging behaviours. It provides proactive strategies to prevent those behaviours and replaces them with new, positive skills that meet the individual’s needs in a healthier way.

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A Holistic View of the Individual

PBS takes into account all aspects of a person’s life that may influence their behaviour—emotional, environmental, physical, and social. It can be used to support individuals displaying a wide range of behaviours, including aggression, self-injury, property damage, and social withdrawal.

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Why do we use a PBS approach at Zeno:

PBS emerged in the 1980s as a holistic approach to understanding and addressing challenging behaviours. PBS has many attributes:

It is person-centred.

PBS addresses the individual and respects their dignity. This includes listening to the individual, recognizing the individual’s skills, strengths, and goals, and the belief that the individual can accomplish his or her goals. Interventions are developed to fit the specific individual rather than a “cookbook” approach.

It causes positive changes

Through environmental changes and reinforcement of adaptive behaviours, individuals can reduce problem behaviours. Coping mechanisms such as relaxation can take the place of the challenging behaviours. PBS minimizes the need for restrictive practices.

It is outcome-focused.

PBS places an emphasis on outcomes important to the individual and to society. These behavioural outcomes, such as fewer aggressive incidents, have the ability to make homes, communities, hospitals, and care environments safer.

It provides collaborative support

PBS involves collaboration with those who support an individual, including caregivers, support providers, parents, nurses, teachers, nurses, support workers, and service managers. This collaborative process keeps everyone involved in the individual’s support and allows for new behaviours and skills to be supported in all settings. • Each individual will have an effective Positive Behaviour Support Plan within 12 weeks of their transition, using information from all stakeholders of the supported person’s circle of trust.