<p>When working in youth care jobs which focus on challenging behaviour, it is important to be well prepared, and that means knowing what to expect. Children in this category exhibit a number of different behaviours and can do so for varying reasons, so every case is different, but having a good general understanding of common problems can help a great deal in <a href="https://www.randstad.co.uk/job-seeker/career-hub/archives/a-day-in-the-…; target="_blank">managing them in social work day to day</a>.</p>
<h3>Types of challenging behaviour</h3>
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Some of the most common types of challenging behaviour are:
<ul>
<li>Aggression: making threats, deliberately behaving in an intimidating manner, or acting violently against objects or other people. Sometimes this behaviour is spontaneous and sometimes it involves deliberation (but this does not necessarily mean the person wants to behave that way).</li>
<li>Withdrawal: refusing to communicate or being unable to communicate, refusing to interact emotionally, and, in some cases, failing to cooperate, even in situations that are clearly in that person’s best interests (such as agreeing to eat).</li>
<li>Disruptiveness: a tendency towards provocative or distracting behaviour, often as a result of conditions such as ADHD that make it difficult for the person to concentrate, but sometimes resulting from a strong desire for attention caused by anxiety or feelings of low self-worth..</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenging behaviour policies</h3>
<p>One of the leading policy documents on dealing with challenging behaviour is that produced by the Prince’s Trust, which advises drawing up risk assessments for those at risk of behaving violently or aggressively, focusing work on preventing problem situations from arising and engaging only as a last resort, avoiding the use of any physical force beyond reasonable restraint. Staff should not place themselves or others at risk of physical harm and must report any incidents that occur.<br><br>
Other policies in this area, such as Mansell 2 or Valuing People Now, tend to mirror this approach, prioritising the safety and well-being of the individual but advocating intervention in cases where the individual’s behaviour represents a risk to self or others. The initial approach should always be to communicate calmly and to prevent the situation from escalating.</p>
<h3>Coping with challenging behaviour</h3>
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The most important elements in managing challenging behaviour are these:
<ul>
<li>Putting the focus on communication, including empowering the affected person to communicate.</li>
<li>Giving the young person a sense of control and an opportunity to actively participate in managing the behavioural problem.</li>
<li>Finding ways for the young person to work off any excess energy that is contributing to challenging behaviour.</li>
<li>Refusing to engage when confronted with attention-seeking behaviour.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Communication through behaviour</h3>
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When verbal communication is not working, communication through behaviour can take over. This involves support workers carefully observing body language to understand what the young person is feeling, and carefully managing their own behaviour so that their good intentions are not at risk of being misinterpreted. It can be used on an ongoing basis with people whose learning disabilities mean they are never likely to master speech, or as an initial strategy with people who are non-verbal for other reasons. Armed with multiple communication strategies, a support worker is much better prepared to deal with challenging behaviour.<br><br>