Inaugural Positive Behaviour Support festival an “inspiring success”

An open-air event showcasing the best in positive behaviour support approaches has been hailed as inspiring by festival backers Surrey County Council.

The council worked with Dimensions, alongside the other six support providers it works with, to come together as a community of practitioners to produce the event.

Tom Moore, Commissioning Manager from SCC ran a session dedicated to how social care providers needed to work together for change and collaborate, rather than compete, to deliver the highest quality of support to people with learning disabilities and autism in the county.

Delegates and speakers included speech and language therapists, psychologists, occupational therapists, health care planners, community nurses, social workers, academics and NHS CHC and CCG Commissioners.

It was a unique opportunity to discuss referrals, placements and progress in transforming care.

Support workers, service managers, and family members were also invited to engage with a variety of different talks and skills building activities in a fun, relaxed environment.

Dimensions co-organiser Adele Carter said, “The feedback from those who attended the festival has been so positive, applauding the way providers came together to talk about specialist areas and not sell themselves and of course commenting on the unique location and design of the event” ’

Nick Barratt, Dimensions’ Head of Behaviour Support, added, “The PBS Festival is an example of some of the good things happening as a result of the collaborative approach encouraged by Surrey County Council.

Surrey residents whose behaviours may challenge can expect to receive high-quality, person-centred services focused on improving outcomes delivered by the provider whose expertise best suits that individual.

If adopted elsewhere, this partnership approach has the potential to make a real difference to adult social care and the transforming care agenda. I’m delighted that other local authorities have been in touch to ask about a similar approach on their patch.”

Contact our Press Office

For more information, interviews, and case studies contact Hannah McCreesh, PR and Communuications Officer on (e) hannah.mccreesh@dimensions-uk.org (t) 0300 303 9062.

Dimensions provides evidence-based, outcomes-focused support for people with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs. We help people be actively involved in their communities.

We are one of the largest not-for-profit support providers in the UK. We currently support around 3,500 people and their families throughout England and Wales with help from our 7,000 members of staff.

We have been providing support packages for families for 40 years. We offer a range of support services to adults of all ages, including those with complex needs or challenging behaviour.

We are proud to be a not-for-profit organisation, not here for commercial gain. This means we’re able to invest all our efforts and resources into the important things – which is helping the people we support lead happy and fulfilled lives.