Location Adult Services
Reporting Relationship Director of Nursing.

Job Purpose The purpose of this post is to provide specialist expertise in the area of behaviours of
concern to adults in Stewarts Care. The post holder will work a key member of a
multidisciplinary team providing a patient centred and quality service.
Scope of the Role To provide expertise in the area of positive behaviour support and work as part of the
Behaviour Support Team.
Key Duties and • To provide specialist knowledge, expertise and care to service users who
Responsibilities display behaviours of concern, require support in achieving their goals and
would benefit from behavioural supports in improving their quality of life.

• To conduct Functional Behavioural Assessments to identify the required

supports for the service user.

• To develop and implement function based Positive Behaviour Support

interventions to positively impact upon the lives of service users.

• To monitor service users, evaluate outcomes and adjust care practise and

support interventions to ensure optimum service co- ordination and delivery
of care.

• To evaluate and develop professional scope of practice through ongoing

evaluation and monitoring of the role.

• To attend multidisciplinary meetings and work with the multidisciplinary

clinical team to meet the needs of service users.

• Effectively manage their time and caseload to meet changing and developing

service needs.

• Contribute where appropriate to the development and review of policies and

procedures, which comply with agreed best practice.

• Provide training and education to support staff in the area of behaviours of

concern as appropriate.

• Other duties as deemed necessary by the Director of Nursing to ensure care,

welfare, safety, and security of all service users.

• Support in the development of a strategic plan for the Behaviour Support

Team

• Participate in the restrictive practice committee, with a clear commitment to

reducing restrictive practices and taking the least restrictive alternative.

Clinical Focus

• The Behaviour Specialist must have strong client focus which subscribes to the
overall purpose, functions and professional ethics and standards.
• The role will require direct care (assessment, planning and delivery of
behaviour support) and indirect care (Through consultation and training that
influence care).

• Ensure that all Behaviour Support Plans are of the highest quality, are

compliant with all regulatory standards and are evidence based.

• Ensure that skills, knowledge and expertise of the Behaviour Support Team

remains current.

• Promote and support a comprehensive understanding and use of effective

Positive Behaviour Support principles and effective differential reinforcement
procedures across the service.

• Stay current with the latest Behaviour Analytical research and ensuring that

Behaviour Analytical principles and techniques are being applied appropriately
throughout the service.
• To be a key support to the Mental Health team, providing expert knowledge
and guidance on behaviour support approaches

Client Advocacy


representation of the service user’s values and decisions in collaboration with


other health care workers and community resource providers.


users participating in decision making, thereby enabling informed choice of


care provisions.


user.


service users.


Audit & Research

• The Behaviour Specialist must audit and participate in developing appropriate

data bases of clinical information to ensure adequate planning and utilisation
of resources in support of persons in Stewarts Care with behaviours of concern.
• Maintain awareness within the speciality of current developments in
behaviours of concern.
• The Behaviour Specialist will attend internal and external training appropriate
to collaborate and network with other Specialists and groups working in the
area of positive behaviour support.

• Ensure that accurate documentation and record keeping is maintained.

Involvement in Care

• Assessment, planning, delivery and evaluation of care for the person with

behaviours of concern in Stewarts Care. Designing behaviour support plans for
individual service users.
• Collaborate with the clinical team to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate care
that addresses the supports required for the person.

• Design behaviour support plans for individual service users presenting with

behaviours of concern.

• Work as part of the MDT, particularly Psychiatry, Psychology and Nursing to

ensure a comprehensive and consistent approach to care for persons who
display behaviours of concern.
• Generate and contribute to the development of clinical standards and
guidelines and support implementation of current practice and new initiatives.

• Provide specialist knowledge, expertise and care in conjunction with the

multidisciplinary team.

Risk Assessment

• Ensuring the assessment of clinical and environmental risks are discussed and

developed in consultation with the MDT and the Risk Manager.

Qualifications& Candidates must meet the following criteria relevant to the role:
Experience

• Board-Certified Behaviour Analyst preferred but not essential with two years’

experience in a similar role.

• Hold a higher qualification in the area of behavioural assessment and

intervention e.g., MSc in Applied Behaviour Analysis, Diploma in Applied
Psychology of Learning Disability (Challenging Behaviour).

• Evidence of participation in continued professional development.

• Holds a full clean driving licence and access to a car.

• Demonstrates competence and capability of undertaking the duties attached

to the office.

Competencies, Communication and Relationship Building
Skills and Knowledge • Demonstrates excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.

• Understands other stakeholders’ agenda’s and needs and uses this to build

mutually beneficial relationships.

• Has experience of building positive relationships across all Stakeholder

Groups

• Has effectively managed difficult relationships or issues with stakeholder

groups.

• Has the ability to communicate constructively in situations where there is

conflict.

• Strong ability to communicate effectively with family members and to

promote communication aligned with the Service Users wishes and
preferences.
Leadership

• Resilience, positive attitude and openness to change.

• Proven ability to coach staff and support them in the delivery of high-quality

standards of work in their area.

• Develops talent among the team and engages knowledge sharing.

• Strong focus on achieving high standards of excellence.

• Takes the lead on standards setting and implementation.

• Leads staff through changes in a positive way.

• Ability to manage conflict and devise solutions to resolve it.

• Displays an ability to delegate and set clear expectations to staff.

• Capacity to manage own workload effectively across a number of locations.

Evaluating Information, Problem Solving and Decision Making

• Demonstrate the ability to effectively deal with a wide range of information

sources, investigating all relevant issues.

• Has an ability to proactively identify areas for improvement and implement

solutions in a timely and effective manner.

• The capacity to anticipate problems/challenges and to recognise when to

involve other parties at the appropriate time and level.

• Proven ability to make sound decisions with a well-reasoned rationale and

stand by these initiatives in the resolution of complex issues.

• Continuously monitors and improve the quality of the service, through

setting and meeting targets, observation and audit.

• Has an ability to proactively identify areas for improvement and implement

solutions in a timely and effective manner.
Planning and Organising

• Takes account of organisational priorities to ensure that operational and

strategic plans are being implemented and achieved

• Ability to manage conflicting priorities in a busy environment

• Ensures all work is delivered to a high standard and in an efficient manner.

• Has the ability to use resources effectively, challenging processes to improve

efficiencies where appropriate.

• Effectively manages and prioritises workload in a reactive environment.

• Adopts a proactive forward planning approach to service delivery in

consultation with relevant stakeholders.

This is not an exhaustive list of duties. You may be required to perform any other
such duties as may be assigned by your manager or a person nominated by them.
As the duties and responsibilities of any post in Stewarts Care are likely to change
with on-going needs of services users, staff are expected to have high level of
flexibility and a willingness to develop new approaches to their work.


*This Role is subject to HSE Approval

Terms and Conditions of Employment

Behaviour Specialist

Remuneration Remuneration is in accordance with the Department of Health (DOH) consolidated
pay scales.


Current Salary Scale: To be discussed at time of offer.

Annual leave To be discussed at time of offer.

Working week The hours allocated to this post are 35 hours per week exclusive of lunch breaks.
The allocation of these hours will be at the discretion of the Director of Nursing, or
a person nominated by them and in accordance with the needs of the service.


Probation All employees will be subject to a probationary period of 6 months, with an
extension if required to 9 months. This probationary period applies to all
employees irrespective of their role or type of role.


Garda Vetting Stewarts Care will carry out Garda vetting on all new employees. An employee will
not take up employment with the organisation until the Garda Vetting process has
been completed and the organisation is satisfied that such an appointment does
not pose a risk to the service users and employees.


References Stewarts Care will seek up to two written references from current and previous
employers, educational institutions or any other organisation with which the
candidate has been associated. Stewarts Care reserves the right to determine the
merit, appropriateness and relevance of such references and referees.