5.5.6

Positive Behavior Support and Child Success Team

Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is designed to organize a strategic plan with the goal to decrease or eliminate undesirable behavior and teach replacement skills to children using Teaching Pyramid strategies. All required documents must be completed and scanned to Disabilities and Mental Health Department (Dis/MH Dept) prior to a PBS or Child Success Team (CST) meeting being schedule. The Dis./MH Dept will contact the Family Worker to schedule a time that works best for the classroom staff.

The CST addresses behavioral, health, or academic concerns about children using a collaborative approach. This process is completed with the family and may be initiated by concerns raised by SHS Staff or by the child’s parent/guardian.

1. When a concern requiring a CST or PBS meeting has been identified, the Referral Process must be completed prior to scheduling a meeting.
2. A member of the Dis/MH Dept. will schedule a time to observe the child.
3. After the classroom observation, the Mental Health Specialist or Dis/MH Manager will call the family and complete the Family Dynamics Form, where information that could be affecting the child’s mental or behavioral health is gathered.
4. Prior to the CST meeting, the Family Worker will meet with the parent/guardian to complete the CST/IEP/IFSP Parent Worksheet | Spanish to gather information about the child including strengths, educational concerns, general concerns, and other relevant information to prepare for the CST meeting (the worksheet is not required for PBS meetings).
   1. The completed parent worksheet is scanned by the Family Worker to the Dis/MH Dept. who attaches it to the Disabilities module in ChildPlus. The original form is filed in the Disabilities section of the child’s file. A copy of the completed worksheet is provided to the parent/guardian. Please encourage the family to bring the worksheet to the CST meeting.

Developing the CST or PBS Plan of Action (POA)

The information gathered from the CST Parent Worksheet, the Family Dynamic Information, and classroom observations is shared and discussed by the classroom staff, social service staff, a supervisor, the family, and the Dis/MH Dept during the meeting and used to develop a POA.

Important to note:

• CST meetings require the presence of the parent/guardian
• PBS meetings do not require the presence of the parent/guardian

The appropriate POA is used to identify action steps which will be taken to address the concerns regarding the identified child. Action steps will include specific strategies with the goal to prevent undesirable behavior and to teach and reinforce new skills. A person responsible is assigned to each action step. Ongoing support will be provided from the Dis/MH Dept such as observations, recommendations, follow-up meetings, and collaboration with families as needed.

Once developed, the completed POA is signed by:

• Dis/MH Dept, including the Mental Health Specialist
• Head Teacher/Site Supervisor
• Education Staff
• Participant(s)
• Parent/Guardian (for PBS meetings, signature must be obtained while reviewing the plan of action)

The Family Worker will scan the POA to the Dis/MH Dept, who will attach it to the child’s record in ChildPlus under the Disabilities module. The original form is filed in the Disabilities section of the child’s file by Family Services staff and a copy is given to the parent/guardian.

The POA must be executed by all classroom staff. If a member of the classroom staff is not present for the meeting, the Teacher/Primary Caregiver is responsible for reviewing the plan with them. After 3-4 weeks of plan implementation, a member of the Dis/MH Dept will schedule a time to observe the child and classroom, using the Fidelity of PBS/CST Plan Implementation Tool. If the child is continuing to display persistent challenging behavior, a follow up CST or PBS meeting may be scheduled, and parent/guardian participation may be requested. The Family Worker is responsible for working with the parent/guardian to determine their availability to attend and participate in the CST meeting.

Staff should contact the Dis/MH Dept anytime there is a need to update the POA.

References

• CST/IEP/IFSP Parent Worksheet | Spanish
• Child Success Team – Plan of Action
• Positive Behavior Support – Plan of Action