The Importance of Staff Debriefs in Support Services
In the dynamic and challenging field of supporting adults and children who are vulnerable to presenting with behaviours of concern, the importance of staff debriefs is key for maintaining a high standard of care and support. Debriefs are structured meetings where staff reflect on their experiences and discuss various aspects of their work and play a crucial role in ensuring that the needs of individuals are met effectively and compassionately as well as ensuring staff well-being.
Enhancing Communication and Collaboration
One of the primary benefits of regular debriefs is the enhancement of communication and collaboration among team members. In support services, where teamwork is paramount, debriefs provide an opportunity for staff to share insights, discuss challenges, and brainstorm solutions. This open exchange of information helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that care strategies are consistent and effective.
Continuous Learning and Improvement
Debriefs are also a valuable tool for continuous learning and improvement. They provide an opportunity for staff to reflect on what went well and what could be improved. Through analysing specific incidents or general practices, teams can identify areas for development and implement changes that enhance the quality of care. This process of reflection and action fosters a culture of continuous improvement.
Building a Strong Team
Regular debriefs help to build a strong, cohesive team. By providing a space for open dialogue and mutual support, debriefs strengthen relationships among team members. A strong team is better equipped to handle the complexities of their work, and this sense of unity and shared purpose ultimately leads to better outcomes for the individuals they serve.
Supporting Emotional Well-being
While all the above are really important aspects of why debriefs are essential in support services, staff well-being is paramount. This is because if staff are struggling, the negative impact both on them, the organisation AND people supported is significant.
Working in support services where people may become distressed and present with behaviours of concern can be emotionally demanding. Staff often encounter complex situations that can be stressful and sometimes overwhelming. Debriefs offer a supportive environment where staff can express their feelings, share their experiences, and receive emotional support from their peers. This can help to prevent burnout and promote a positive work culture, where staff feel valued and understood
The Restraint Reduction Network Standards, NICE guidelines and Positive and Proactive Care (2015) all state that debrief is essential following incidents that involve a restraint, as part of the process to reduce restrictive practice. In those circumstances, services are generally good at carrying out debriefs, but often they are more focussed on lessons learnt and exploring how the incidents could be avoided in the future than supporting staff’s emotional well-being. Even being asked to re-live the incident by completing the mandatory paperwork, potentially asks staff to consider what they did wrong before they have had the opportunity to manage their own psychological distress.
Debriefs are more effective and less potentially harmful if separated into an initial ‘hot’ debrief, as a team or individually, that focuses purely on providing emotional support; followed later by a ‘cold’ debrief that considers how to avoid the same thing happening again, reviews plans and risk assessments.
Considerations for ‘hot’ debriefs
Ideally, they are carried out by trained clinicians. Realistically this may not be available, but some organisations have provided additional training to some staff to be ‘mental health first aiders’. As a minimum, the whole team being coached in and practicing Active Listening skills may be beneficial in enabling the team to develop their confidence in providing emotional support to each other before they leave shift.
The key skills of active listening being:
Paraphrase
Listen
Clarify
Encourage the person to speak
Use silence
Do not offer advice
All staff should be trained in recognising the psychological or physiological signs and symptoms of trauma, with an understanding that reliving the event may bring up past trauma. Research indicates that a higher proportion of care staff have experienced negative life events or ACES.
Psychological signs might include:
- Anxiety
- Hypervigilance
- Not sleeping or sleeping too much
- Reoccurring memories of the event
- Negative feelings like guilt, shame, embarrassment, sadness or anger
- Avoidance
- Any changes in behaviour e.g. irritability, appearing withdrawn or quieter than usual
Physiological signs might include:
- Tension pain (neck, shoulders and headaches)
- Fatigue
- Poor concentration
- Palpitations
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Eating too little or too much
- Increased allergy symptoms
Any of these symptoms might indicate trauma or burnout and there should be a clear pathway to a range of additional support readily available e.g. counselling, workshops, 1:1 talking therapies, should they be observed in any member of the team.
Debriefs for the person supported or other residents who may have also been involved or present is also vitally important if it is appropriate to do so and unlikely to cause additional trauma. Debriefs should be adapted to suit the person’s communication needs with visuals or augmentative communication aids, that give the person the opportunity to say whether they felt supported, how they feel now and to provide guidance to the team if the person needs additional support.
The Advantages of Recording Debriefs with PBS Champion Software
Making sure that clear records are kept about any debriefs, both ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ is essential so that your organisation knows to what level and competence these are occurring. PBS Champion software provides a clear structure for both hot and cold debriefs so managers can be clear about when and how these have occurred. Managers can search across incidents and see what percentage have included hot and cold debriefs. Taking a measure of where you are, in relation to specific practices, enables organisations to monitor any initiatives that they have put into place to increase effective debriefs
Conclusion
Staff debriefs are a vital component of support services. They enhance communication, support emotional well-being, promote continuous learning, and build strong teams. By prioritising regular debriefs, organisations can ensure that their staff are well-equipped to provide high-quality care and support to individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Making sure debriefs are recorded and reviewed is essential. PBS Champion software provides a system for this, making sure all your debriefs are in one place.
Find out more https://redstonepbs.co.uk/pbs-champion/
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View our brochure https://redstonepbs.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/17082023-PBS-Champion-Brochure-Sept2023.pdf
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PBS plans have the power to transform lives, foster growth, and promote inclusion but only if the right information is included in a way that teams can follow and put all the strategies into place.
References and acknowledgements:
Emotional Welfare of Staff working in services for people with intellectual disabilities who present challenging behaviour, Dr Peter Baker (BCBA-D) University of Kent
Baker, Peter A. (2017) Attending to debriefing as post-incident support of care staff in intellectual disability challenging behaviour services: An
exploratory study. International Journal of Positive Behavioural Support,
7 (1). pp. 38-44. ISSN 2047-0924
PBS Champion
PBS Champion provides a way to analyse the detail of incidents and ABC’s with the aim of gathering information about function. However, it also provides the ability to analyse behavioural incidents and any restrictive interventions at individual, service and organisational levels. This provides a very quick and easy way to report reductions in behavioural incidents as a result supports being put into place, as well as the reduction of any restrictive interventions used, evidencing the effects of RRN standards across an organisation.
If you’re interested in finding out more or to arrange a free demo for PBS Champion contact info@redstonepbs.co.uk
Author
Kate Strutt – Director of Redstone PBS and Clinical Psychologist.
Kate has over 20 years’ experience of working with adults and children with intellectual disabilities and those who are autistic, both within statutory services and the independent sector. Kate is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. Bsc Psychology, D.Clin Psyc, MSc Applied Behaviour Analysis.
