PBS: Specialist Forensic Disability Practice - professional development

What you will learn

Gain contemporary skills and knowledge for your job now.

As the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) continues to expand, the need for highly-skilled behaviour support practitioners who can effectively support people with disabilities is growing.

This course is for NDIS-registered behaviour support practitioners or other allied health professionals who are seeking practical training to support a person with a disability who is at risk of or has had contact with the justice system. Its development has been supported by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) Victoria.

Taught by leading experts, PBS: Specialist Forensic Disability Practice offers essential practitioner training that's aligned to capability skills outlined in the NDIS Positive Behavior Support Capability Framework.

Gain a thorough overview of forensic disability practice

Broaden your understanding of forensic disability practice. Examine the characteristics, needs, and complex challenges encountered when working with people with disabilities involved in the criminal justice system. Analyse key assessment and intervention frameworks used to support this population.

Understand risk assessment and management in a behaviour support context

Gain up-to-date training in risk assessment and management of forensic disability populations. Learn how to use risk assessment tools and techniques to identify critical gaps in people's supports, accurately measure the person's risk of harm to self or others, and take evidence-informed steps to improve people's lives.

Examine behaviour change core principles and key ethical and systemic issues

Explore the principles of behaviour change and identify key ethical and systemic issues when working across jurisdictions and with complex care teams. Gain a skills-based approach to reducing overall high risk behaviours and learn to implement shared decision making and shared goal setting with a care team.

Create a safety plan to support a disabled person who is involved with the justice system

Formulate a case study for a person with a disability who is at risk of or is in contact with the justice system. You'll create a safety plan that links risk factors to the person's treatment needs and risk management requirements that's consistent with the Positive Behaviour Support framework.

PBS: Specialist Forensic Disability Practice is ideal for behaviour support practitioners who intend to register, or are registered, with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) as sole practitioners or who will be engaged by a service provider registered with the NDIS.

To enrol in this course you should have been assessed as suitable as a behaviour support practitioner (Core Practitioner or above) by the NDIS Commission or be intending to undertake assessment for suitability.

Prior knowledge of disability service provision or relevant experience working in the disability sector; and in particular provision of services to people who exhibit complex challenging behaviours (behaviours of concern) is desirable.

Learning is equivalent to Level 8 of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

Please note, this course is for group bookings only.

PBS: Specialist Forensic Disability Practice is aligned with the Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework, which aims to embed a stronger learning system and culture for NDIS behaviour support practitioners.

This encourages practitioners who are registered or intend to register with the NDIS to undertake flexible and requirements-based training and development that enables rapid professional development.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to work effectively with people with disabilities who are at risk of or have had contact with the justice system.

You'll be able to:

• Synthesise a range of informational sources to consolidate a holistic case formulation about the person with forensic disability issues that takes into consideration risk, protective factors and needs most relevant to maximising the person's quality of life
• Create a safety plan that links the identified relevant risk factors for treatment needs and risk management requirements of the person with forensic disability issues within a community context
• Collaborate effectively across jurisdictions and with complex care teams in the development and proposed implementation of the safety plan.

This course runs over 8 weeks.

Your total time commitment is approximately 42 hours, which includes:

• 15 hours self-study, including peer learning
• 7 hours guided learning, including participation in webinars
• 20 hours for assessment activities, including 5 hours guided learning.

Assessment:

• Case formulation: Formulate a case for a person with a disability who is at risk or in contact with the justice system - i.e., "the person" ( 40%)
• The Safety Plan: Create a safety plan for the person, as a critical complimentary plan within a specialist forensic behaviour support plan (60%).

Upon completion of this course, you will receive the PBS: Specialist Forensic Disability Practice Melbourne MicroCert - The University of Melbourne's unique micro-credential digital certificate. This certificate demonstrates that you have acquired the knowledge, skills, and abilities outlined in the course's learning outcomes. The certificate may also include artefacts such as videos and written materials related to both experimental and work-integrated learning, as well as relevant assessments applicable to your professional life. You can add your Melbourne MicroCert to your social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, and share it with others. Please see example certificate.

PBS: Specialist Forensic Disability Practice can be taken as a stand-alone micro-credential or complemented with any other course in the Positive Behaviour Support series to deepen your knowledge and skills.

This series includes:

• PBS: Models and Legislation
• PBS: Assessment and Planning
• PBS: Specialist Forensic Disability Practice
• PBS: Autism Affirming Practice
• Authorised Program Officer Professional Develoment

It is recommended learners complete PBS: Models and Legislation and PBS: Assessment and Planning before enrolling in other courses in this series.

Delivered fully online, this course provides a convenient way to develop your skillset from a location that suits you.

You'll complete self-paced learning activities and participate in regular real-time seminar-style discussion groups that are led by behaviour support practitioners.

In addition, you'll have an opportunity to engage in interactive real-world based activities that bring key concepts to life and will equip you with the skills needed to deliver specialist positive behaviour support to people with disabilities.

There is no set expiry date.