Tier Approach
What Is a Tiered Approach?
The Tiered Support Approach is an effective method for identifying the varying levels of support needed within organisations, specific services, and school settings. This framework consists of three distinct tiers, designed to address the full spectrum of support requirements.
The core idea is to start with baseline strategies—these are essential, everyday practices that should be consistently implemented. Often, the gap in support is found within day-to-day strategies, and our approach effectively helps to pinpoint this issue. Once we confirm that these foundational strategies are in place, we can evaluate and determine the next level of tailored, individualised support needed.
This tiered approach enables us to assist organisations in implementing behaviour support throughout their entire framework, whether it be in a specific service or a school setting. By employing this model, we ensure that every individual receives the appropriate level of support, ranging from general strategies to more specialised, individualised interventions.
Tier 1
Creating personalised environments and providing staff training is essential for fostering a proactive and preventative culture among staff. It's crucial to focus on the day-to-day support systems in place and prioritise the well-being of the individuals being supported, addressing their needs before any behaviours arise.
Ensuring that environments are fit for purpose is key, this may involve creating low-arousal spaces or making specific adjustments to cater to individual needs. Emphasising strong leadership and effective management practices helps maintain high standards of care and practice.
Tier 2
A more tailored approach is implemented when individuals exhibit higher levels of distress or challenging behaviours, necessitating a comprehensive behaviour assessment and individualized interventions. In this tier, interventions may be delivered either individually or in groups, based on the specific context and the individual’s needs.
A brief behaviour assessment is typically performed to pinpoint the functions of lower-level behaviours, aiding in our understanding of the underlying causes and allowing us to better customize the support strategies. This approach guarantees that interventions are not only responsive but also concentrated on the unique challenges and objectives of the individual, resulting in more effective and sustainable outcomes.
Tier 3
For individuals exhibiting complex or distressed behaviours, a thorough and comprehensive behaviour assessment is essential to fully grasp the underlying causes of these behaviours. This assessment serves as the foundation for behaviour support and intervention planning, as well as the creation of behavioural risk assessments to ensure safety and well-being.
In this phase, personalised training for staff or caregivers may be necessary to guarantee they possess the skills and strategies required to effectively support the individual.
We will also establish tailored data collection and recording systems to monitor behaviours and assess the effectiveness of interventions. This might include reviewing and refining existing data processes to align them with the objectives of the support plan.
Moreover, more frequent check-ins will be crucial to track progress, adjust strategies, and ensure that support remains adaptable to the changing needs of the individual.