Consistency and Behaviour Support | Dave Smallwood

In this episode, Clare talks to Dave Smallwood, Principal Team Teach trainer and Director at SENse Training and Consultancy, about consistency and behaviour support. They discuss the importance of collaboration and teamwork, to ensure a coherent, joined-up approach.

They also highlight the need for flexibility and a values-driven culture of shared accountability, where everyone understands their unique role in providing consistent behaviour support.

Dave has worked in special schools, for both the local authority and the National Autistic Society, and has extensive experience of supporting young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities.

As a staff development co-ordinator for the National Autistic Society, he developed and delivered training in autism, and equality, diversity, and rights.

You can find Dave on LinkedIn.

He also shares three tips during the episode:

• Be clear about the ‘why’ of your behaviour policies and practices, to better understand the values that underpin them, and to foster a compassionate approach.
• Consider individual support plans, making sure they are succinct, regularly updated, and consistently implemented.
• Make sure that time is set aside for planning, debriefs, handovers, and incident analysis, to explore and identify the underlying causes of behaviour.

The Team Teach podcast shares the latest thinking in behaviour, all in handy 15-minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use in your setting.