PRISM Star Training
Rights in everyday decisions
Make dignity, privacy, autonomy and inclusion visible in the small decisions made on every shift. Involve the person and support their voice, preferences and right to say no.
POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT & PERSON-CENTRED ACTIVE SUPPORT
Build a good life.
Make every moment count.
Quality of life, human rights and the person’s own priorities are the starting point for our PBS training. We help care teams turn those values into everyday support, meaningful activity and opportunities to learn.
WHY LEARN PBS WITH PRISM?
Quality of life is the purpose.
Our training asks teams to look at the life a person wants to lead: the relationships they value, the choices they want to make, the things they enjoy and the opportunities they have yet to explore. That is where we begin.
We explain what a human rights-based, person-centred approach means in practice. Learners work through how it shapes daily routines, communication, care planning, staff decisions and the way a service measures its impact.
Values you can put into practice
Start with the person’s strengths, interests, culture and ambitions. Translate what matters to them into practical changes in how support is offered.
Learning that reaches the service
Connect the course with staff coaching, support plans, team reflection and practice leadership. Agree what people should experience differently as a result.
THE LANGUAGE WE USE MATTERS
A person is never the problem to be managed.
The phrase “challenging behaviour” can draw attention towards the difficulty for others and away from the person’s experience. We use language that protects dignity and helps teams explore distress, communication, unmet needs and behaviours of concern.
Our focus stays on building a good life. Understanding behaviour helps us improve support and the environment; the person’s wellbeing, opportunities and lived experience tell us whether that support is working.
FROM VALUES TO PARTICIPATION
Every moment has potential.
Person-Centred Active Support (PCAS) helps teams notice opportunities to take part throughout the day. Preparing a drink, choosing music, welcoming a visitor or planning a trip can become a chance to connect, practise a skill and have more control.
Everyday moments count
Look beyond scheduled activities. Help the person find a meaningful part in ordinary routines and relationships, guided by what they want to do.
Make learning achievable
Break activities into manageable steps. Offer short, repeated opportunities to try, practise and build confidence at the person’s pace.
Offer the right support
Adjust prompts, time, equipment and practical help so the person can contribute. Recognise progress and change the support as skills develop.
Keep the person in charge
Make preferences accessible and act on them. Participation includes choosing a different activity, taking a break or declining an invitation.
What this can look like
A person interested in cooking might start by choosing ingredients, then practise one step of a favourite recipe with support. The purpose is their enjoyment, learning and sense of contribution, with the level of help shaped around them.
A BROADER VIEW OF WELLBEING
Use PERMA to explore a life that feels worthwhile.
We bring PERMA into our training as a way to reflect on wellbeing alongside PBS and PCAS. Its five areas help teams explore what a good life means to each person and where support could open up new possibilities.
Positive emotion
Moments of enjoyment, comfort, interest and hope, as experienced by the person.
Engagement
Activities that hold attention, use strengths and offer the right level of challenge.
Relationships
People to connect with, a sense of belonging and opportunities to contribute to others’ lives.
Meaning
Roles, routines and experiences that matter to the person and give life purpose.
Accomplishment
Progress towards personal goals, learning something new and feeling proud of a contribution.
The person defines what matters. PERMA is a prompt for conversation and reflection, with communication support adapted to them.
FOR CARE TEAMS AND REGISTERED MANAGERS
Make the difference visible in everyday life.
Our directors actively lead care services. We understand the work involved in making support consistent across shifts, within real staffing and budget constraints. Residential, supported living and domiciliary teams can all build stronger opportunities for choice, participation and learning.
Plan with the person
Agree the experiences and opportunities they want. Connect these with support plans, communication guidance and the way the team works.
Coach the practice
Observe real interactions, offer useful feedback and use supervision to explore what helps. Give staff space to reflect and learn together.
Look at quality of life
Review participation, relationships, choice, learning and wellbeing with the person. Include their views and the experiences of people who know them well.
When someone experiences distress or behaviours of concern, understanding their needs and the reasons behind behaviour remains important. Individual assessment, an agreed support plan and specialist input may be needed. A one-day introduction provides a foundation for staff practice; complex assessment requires further competence and support.
Connecting our learning with the PBS Competence Framework.
We are currently mapping our PBS course content, learning outcomes and practical activities to the UK Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) Competence Framework, available through the PBS Academy.
Skills for Care’s PBS training guidance identifies this framework and the PBS Academy Training Standards as reference points for developing staff knowledge, skills and values. Its separate PBS peer-review process uses the Academy’s training standards to review training provision.
Our mapping work is in progress and helps us make the connection between what we teach and what staff need to put into practice.
OUR PBS COURSE OFFERING
Choose the learning your team needs.
Positive Behavioural Support — PBS Awareness
Explore quality of life, human rights and person-centred values, with PCAS, meaningful participation and practical examples for care teams. We’ll shape the programme around your service.
View PBS Awareness →PBS Facilitator — Train the Trainer
Develop the knowledge and confidence to help colleagues put PBS into practice and deliver awareness training within your organisation. Explore the course content and requirements.
View PBS Facilitator training →CARE PROVIDERS, FOR CARE PROVIDERS
Build the learning around a better life.
Tell us about your service, the people you support and what you want to improve. Our free training needs analysis service helps you shape a practical plan, with no obligation to book training.
KEEP EXPLORING
Resources to support your practice
SKILLS FOR CAREPlanning PBS trainingGuidance on commissioning, designing and developing PBS learning for adult social care.Read the training guide (PDF) ↗UNITED RESPONSEActive Support in practiceExplore the principles of participation and the support that makes it possible.Explore Active Support ↗UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIAUnderstand PERMARead about the five areas of wellbeing and the thinking behind the framework.Explore PERMA ↗PBS ACADEMYKnowledge into practiceExplore the competence framework that informs our course-mapping work.View the framework ↗