< Behavior Concern>
< Lecturer’s Name and Course Number>
PART A: Observing and Monitoring Behaviour of Concern
This case study relates to the role of you the Support Worker in observing, monitoring and evaluating the changed behaviors of clients so that strategies can be used to reduce risk to the client and to others. Read the case study below and respond to the questions following.
Referring to the case Study above, provide responses to the following questions. An example is provided to guide you.
Research three (3) dedicated behavior support professionals or organizations that CareShore could refer Peter to so as to get specialized supports. Ensure you include the organization’s name, specialization and contact details in the table below:
For each example given above, identify the referral process required.
PART B: Manage Conflict Positively
Describe some of the legal and ethical considerations that must be taken into account by Support Staff when managing conflict (or potential conflict) in terms of:
Describe possible signs that could indicate there is an aggressive outburst about to unfold between George and Li. (50-70 words)
What communication techniques can you use to manage and defuse conflict between George and his daughter? (20-50 words)
In managing conflicts, such as that between George and Li, why do Support Workers need to consider cultural sensitivities, and how can they do this?
Describe how you can use relevant negotiation skills to examine the basis of the conflict(s) so that each party in the conflict can understand each other’s point of view, and respond differently. (approx. 50-100 words)
PART C: Respond to changed behaviors/behaviors of concern
When working with clients who have changed behaviors, what strategies can you use to encourage and outline opportunities to the client in order to support them to change their behavior? (approx. 50-100 words)
Identify four (4) strategies you could use if you found yourself in a situation where the individual is violent, aggressive and/or threatening to commit suicide.
When responding to George's behavior, why do Support Workers need to use clear, calm and objective language?
Clear, calm, and objective language is important to ensure that the agitated client does not misinterpret the emotions and that they capture accurate information given by the support staff. Moreover, shouting at the client agitates them even more. When the clients perceive that they are the only ones agitated, they tend to calm down faster.
What professional behaviors can you use when interacting with George and Li to model positive behavior? (30-50 words)
As a professional support staff, I would evaluate the situation and look at all the possible actions that will prevent the escalation of the incident. For instance, I would separate Li and George. I would also handle the threats and diffuse them before they actually happen. I would also debrief each party on the way forward after analyzing the situation for a solution.
If Georges’ self-harm escalated and his head hitting was not abating, briefly describe how you would respond to this critical incident by:
Naming one (1) defusing strategy.
Naming one (1) way to ensure the safety of George, his family and yourself.
Naming one (1) preventative strategy for the future.
When responding and/or intervening in Georges’ changed behaviours, why is it necessary for Support Workers to base their actions on:
Analysis of the situation
CareShore’s policies and guidelines?
PART D: Complete reporting requirements
When explaining the reporting process to Lauren, what CareShore policies and procedures and what Legislation would you refer to as being the guiding principles for how reporting is to be done?
Explain what you would do if, while supporting Lauren to complete the Critical Incident Report, you noticed that the form does not really capture all of the information that would be usually be needed for the Manager to evaluate and manage the report.
Part E: Read the scenario and then answer the questions that follow:
1A. In accordance with CareShore's policies and procedures, you need to complete an Incident Report. Complete the ‘What happened?' field in the Incident Report mock up below. Remember to be objective, accurate and concise in your account of events.
1B. In this scenario, you identified early signs of potentially complicated or difficult situations and reported them according to CareShore's procedures. Briefly explain why it was necessary to do this. (50-100 words).
Reporting will help the management address the issues using the post-incident interventions (Solway, Thompson, Camic, and Chatterjee, 2015, p.209). As such, future violent incidents are minimized. Additionally, the people affected are taken care of. For instance, the frightened clients require an assurance that they are safe in the organization. Finally, reporting ensures that all the incidences are documented.
1C: In the scenario above, you, the support worker, have shown assertive behavior. Identify and explain what actions in the scenario demonstrated this assertive behavior. (50-100 words)
Assertive behavior in the above scenario is demonstrated in the instance where a solution is offered to Bill suggesting that he watches TV in his room. As such, a solution is immediately given that proves efficient. Moreover, requesting Bill to leave makes it easier since he had arrived at the lounge later than John.
1D: Did Stephanie breach any legal or ethical responsibilities? Explain your answer. (50-100 words)
Stephanie did not breach any legal or ethical responsibilities. The reason is that she has not completed her training as a support staff to understand all the different negotiation techniques and the situations in which they act effectively (Community Door, 2016). Moreover, her actions did not result in any physical damage that could be interpreted as consequential to unprofessionalism.
1E: Why is it necessary to:
Refer unresolved conflict situations to your supervisor? (50-100 words)
Refer issues impacting on employee or client rights and responsibilities to your supervisor? (50-100 words)
Complete the table:
2A: Stephanie is unable to communicate effectively with the residents or others.
Suggest two (2) verbal and two (2) non-verbal communication methods that might be recommended by her manager to help her communicate in a respectful and constructive way. An example has been provided for you:
2B: Identify and briefly describe one (1) instance, situation, or occasion when non-verbal communication would be more appropriate than verbal communication. (50-100 words)
Non-verbal communication would be more appropriate than verbal communication in an instance where a colleague in a similar position needs to be communicated to in the presence of junior staff (McCroskey, 2015, p.196). For instance, in the case of Stephanie, instead of telling her to shut up in the presence of the clients, communicating with a slight headshake would be appropriate in communicating that she needed to stop shouting at the aggressed clients.
Bibliography
Cava, R., 2003. Dealing with difficult situations: At work and at home. Sydney, Australia: Pan Macmillan Australia.
Community Door, 2016. Facilitate responsible behavior. [online] Available at: < http://etraining.communitydoor.org.au/mod/page/view.php?id=201>. [Accessed 10 January 2017].
Hiam, A., 2003. Motivational management: Inspiring your people for maximum performance. New York: AMACOM, American Management Association.
Jackson, P. Z. and McKergow, M., 2002. The solutions focus: The simple way to positive change. Nicholas Brealey Publishing, London.
Leather, P., Brady, C., Lawrence, C., Beale, D., and Cox, T. eds., 1999. Work-related violence: Assessment and intervention. New York, NY: Routledge.
Malouf, D., 2002. Power up your people skills: Communicating in the new millennium. 2nd ed. Allen & Unwin.
Mayhew, C., 2000. Preventing client-initiated violence. A practical handbook. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology Research and Public Policy Series No. 30.
McCroskey, J.C., 2015. An introduction to rhetorical communication: A western rhetorical perspective. New York: Routledge.
McGrath, H.L. and Edwards, H., 2000. Difficult personalities: A practical guide to managing the hurtful behaviours of others (and maybe your own). New York: The Experiment.
Solway, R., Thompson, L., Camic, P.M. and Chatterjee, H.J., 2015. Museum object handling groups in older adult mental health inpatient care. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 17(4), pp.201-214.
