Assess and manage risks to own and others’ safety whendealing with challenging behaviour

A child who displays challenging behaviour may not be aware of the risks that they

present, to themselves or to other pupils. They may not care that they present a risk,

and often someone who is emotionally fraught at the time will not be able to identify

such risks.

You should point out the risks to the child in question at the time, so that they are

more aware of the possible consequences of their actions. Challenging behaviour,

even when it is aggression, is not necessarily designed to hurt or injure someone. It

is often believed to be a version of communication, and can be a result of a child

being unable to adequately communicate something. Children with communication

disorders like ASD, or disabilities that make it harder for them to communicate, such

as hearing impairment or speech and language issues, are often more likely to

present challenging behaviours.

Assessing the risk presented is a two-part operation.

Where a child has repeatedly displayed challenging behaviour, the school should

conduct a risk assessment around it, and should disseminate the assessment to

teachers and staff who need that information. This should be part of the strategy of

dealing with the behaviour and supporting the pupil.

However, it will also be necessary for you to personally identify the risks during the

incident of challenging behaviour, so that you can deal with it in the safest way

possible.

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Risk assessment for challenging behaviour.

Assessing risk during challenging behaviour

You should always follow your school's behaviour policy or health and safety policy

(whichever is the most relevant for the circumstances) where this type of information

is available.

The kinds of actions you are expected to do internally, prior to dealing with

challenging behaviour are as follows:

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1. Look around and identify hazards.

2. Identify who might be harmed and how that might happen (and donot forget to consider your own safety as well as others')

3. Assess the risks and decide if the current situation is safe enough, or ifyou need to take further measures, such as removing the pupil whodisplays challenging behaviour or evacuating the classroom.

Reflection in practice during an incident of challenging behaviour

You should also be able to assess yourself; your own state of mind, how in-control

you feel you are, and whether or not you are the appropriate person to deal with the

situation.

If you are the only person immediately available, you must deal with it; however, if

you are unsure, afraid, or if you feel that the situation has gone beyond your control,

you should call for assistance from another member of staff.

Following an incident of challenging behaviour where you have been the main staff

member handling it, or where you provided support and back up to another member

of staff, you should complete an entry in your reflective journal, or spend some time

thinking about the incident in a reflective way. Think about what happened, how you

felt about it, what you would have done differently, and how you plan to approach it

next time.

You should also bring it up during your supervision with your line manager, and

request training if you feel that is necessary.

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