, please spend more than £50Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Training
A CPD-certified online course for health and social care staff who support people whose behaviour can challenge. Learn to understand behaviour as communication, plan proactive person-centred support, and respond safely and lawfully — all at your own pace.
About this course
Support that improves quality of life
Positive Behaviour Support is the evidence-based, person-centred framework used across learning disability, autism, mental health, older people’s and children’s services to understand and respond to behaviour that challenges. Rather than managing or controlling behaviour, PBS focuses on understanding why it happens and improving a person’s quality of life so that the behaviour becomes less likely in the first place.
This course gives front-line staff and managers a thorough working knowledge of the PBS approach: what behaviour communicates, how to assess its function, how to build proactive support plans, and how to respond to incidents safely and within the law — including the least restrictive principle and the reduction of restrictive practices.
Fully online and self-paced, the course can be completed in around three to four hours and is accessed for twelve months from enrolment. On passing the end-of-course assessment, a CPD-certified digital certificate is issued instantly. The course is designed to align with Care Quality Commission (CQC) expectations and the Restraint Reduction Network training standards.
What you’ll learn
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course you will be able to:
Explain what Positive Behaviour Support is and the values and evidence base that underpin it.
Recognise behaviour as a form of communication and an expression of unmet need.
Identify the common functions and triggers of behaviour that challenges using the ABC model.
Contribute to a functional behavioural assessment and accurate behaviour recording.
Develop and follow proactive, person-centred strategies that improve quality of life.
Apply safe de-escalation and reactive strategies during periods of distress.
Understand the legal framework, the least restrictive principle and restrictive practice reduction.
Monitor, review and improve a behaviour support plan as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Course content
Eight modules — 3 to 4 hours of learning
Each module ends with a knowledge check. Work through the modules in any order and return to the content at any time during your twelve-month access window.
1Introduction to Positive Behaviour SupportWhat PBS is, where it came from, and the person-centred values that sit at its heart.⌄
- What we mean by “behaviour that challenges”
- The origins and evidence base of PBS
- Quality of life as the central goal
- Person-centred values and rights-based practice
- Proactive support vs reactive management
2Understanding Behaviour as CommunicationWhy people behave as they do, and how to read behaviour as a message about unmet need.⌄
- Behaviour as communication and unmet need
- Common functions of behaviour: sensory, escape, attention, tangible
- Internal and environmental triggers
- The impact of communication difficulties, pain and distress
- Avoiding labels and assumptions
3The ABC Model and Functional AssessmentA structured way to understand what comes before and after behaviour, and why.⌄
- Antecedents, Behaviour, Consequences (the ABC model)
- Gathering information from multiple sources
- Accurate, objective behaviour recording
- Identifying patterns, triggers and functions
- Your role in contributing to a functional assessment
4Proactive StrategiesPrimary prevention — changing the environment and teaching skills so distress is less likely.⌄
- Primary prevention and environmental adaptation
- Teaching functionally-equivalent skills
- Building predictable routines and meaningful activity
- Communication supports and choice
- Promoting wellbeing and positive relationships
5The Behaviour Support PlanHow proactive, secondary and reactive strategies come together in one working document.⌄
- The structure and purpose of a PBS plan
- Primary, secondary and reactive strategies
- Recognising early warning signs and escalation
- Consistency across the whole team
- Putting the plan into everyday practice
6De-escalation and Reactive StrategiesResponding safely and respectfully when someone is in crisis.⌄
- Recognising escalation and the crisis cycle
- Verbal and non-verbal de-escalation techniques
- Keeping the person and others safe
- Post-incident support and reflection
- Looking after your own wellbeing
7Restrictive Practices and the LawThe legal framework, the least restrictive principle and reducing restrictive interventions.⌄
- What counts as a restrictive practice
- The least restrictive principle
- Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Human Rights Act 1998
- Restraint Reduction Network training standards
- Recording, reporting and safeguarding duties
8Monitoring, Review and Continuous ImprovementUsing data and reflection to keep support effective and person-centred over time.⌄
- Recording and reviewing outcomes data
- Measuring quality of life, not just incidents
- Multidisciplinary working and the role of the PBS practitioner
- Reflective practice and team learning
- When and how to update the support plan
Is this course right for you?
Who should take this course?
This course is designed for anyone who supports people whose behaviour can challenge, whether you are new to the role or refreshing your knowledge.
Support workers
Front-line staff in supported living, residential and domiciliary care.
Learning disability & autism services
Teams supporting people with a learning disability or autistic people.
Care home staff
Carers and seniors working with older people, including those living with dementia.
Mental health workers
Staff in mental health and crisis support settings.
Education & SEN staff
Teaching assistants and SEN staff supporting children and young people.
Registered managers
Managers responsible for CQC compliance and team training.
How you’ll be assessed
Assessment
The course is assessed by a single online multiple-choice test taken at the end of the modules. It can be retaken as many times as you need at no extra cost.
End-of-course assessment
Study details
You can pause and resume at any point — your progress is saved automatically. There is no time limit on the assessment itself.
Your certificate
CPD-certified digital certificate
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) — CPD Certified
On passing the assessment, your CPD-certified digital certificate is available to download and print immediately, with your name, the course title and completion date. It can be used as evidence of continuing professional development and to demonstrate trained-staff compliance to the CQC and other inspectors. We recommend annual refresher training to keep knowledge current.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Is this course recognised and CPD certified?⌄
How long does it take and how long do I have access?⌄
Do I need any prior experience?⌄
Will this make me competent to use physical restraint?⌄
Can I buy this for my whole team?⌄
Ready to enrol?
Start your CPD-certified Positive Behaviour Support training today. Fully online, self-paced, with your certificate issued instantly on completion.