PBS: Specialist Forensic Disability Practice
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.
Who you will learn from
Learn from skilled academics and professional experts who will share invaluable knowledge you can use in your job.
Dr Frank Lambrick
Academic Coordinator, Specialist Certificate in Criminology (forensic disability)
Dr Franck Lambrick is a forensic psychologist with over 30 years’ experience working within this field. He is a member of the Australian Psychological Society and a Fellow of the College of Forensic Psychologists. He was previously the Victorian Senior Practitioner for the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing having legislative oversight of the use of restrictive practices and compulsory treatment on people with disabilities in that jurisdiction.
Chelsea Troutman
Board Certified Behavioural Analyst (BCBA), practitioner and clinical supervisor
Chelsea Troutman is a Board-Certified Behaviour Analyst and Clinical Supervisor, and currently registered as a Specialist Advanced Behaviour Support Practitioner, in the area of Forensic Disability within the NDIS. She holds a Master of Education in Applied Behavioural Analysis from University of Cincinatti and a Specialist Certificate in Criminology from the University of Melbourne.
More from this series
The Positive Behaviour Support suite
The Positive Behaviour Support suite has been designed to foster a stronger learning system and culture for NDIS-registered behaviour support practitioners . These micro-credentials empower practitioners with flexible and requirements-based training and development, as well as expanding education and training to include working with people with autism and in contexts of forensic disability.
Explore more from the Positive Behaviour Support suite:
- PBS: Models and Legislation (Micro-credential)
- PBS: Autism Affirming Practice (Micro-credential)
- PBS: Assessment and Planning (Micro-credential)
Course details
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%).
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.