Intensive Support Team
About us
The Intensive Support Team (IST) is a multidisciplinary team that supports both adults and children with a learning disability and behaviours described as challenging or complex. People accessing the service often have a level of need that cannot be safely managed by:
- The individual themselves
- Their family
- Support providers
- Community Learning Disability Teams
- CAMHS Learning Disability Team
What we do
The IST provides focused support for people with complex needs. This is done through:
- Specialist assessment
- Tailored interventions
- Care planning
- Support strategies
Support is co-ordinated in partnership with:
- Service users
- Carers and families
- Statutory and non-statutory organisations, including housing, care support, and both primary and secondary healthcare services
Approach to support
The IST works with people for a short, focused period of time. Support is:
- Person-centred, aiming to understand the individual’s needs
- Focused on the functions behind behaviours
- Built on positive behaviour support (PBS) principles
- Aimed at improving quality of life and
- Reducing unnecessary admissions to assessment and treatment units, or avoiding the need for a change in a person’s residential setting
Who is in the team
The Intensive Support Team includes:
- Team Manager
- Clinical Psychologist
- Assistant Psychologist
- Behavioural Nurses
- Behavioural Assistant Practitioners
- Behavioural Therapist
- Behavioural Specialist
- Speech and Language Therapist
- Occupational Therapist
- Commissioning Lead
Important information
- The IST is not a crisis or emergency intervention service.
- The team offers complementary input to Community Learning Disability Teams or the CAMHS Learning Disability Team.
- Referrals to the IST are made by these teams when appropriate.
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