ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines some ideas to empower hands-on staff to act to lessen the likelihood of situations. It suggests that effective prevention consists of applying the same type of antecedent/context approach in very specific ways before challenging behaviour develops. The situation should be considered in relation to the person's wider pattern of life - for example, their reaction to a particular situation may be a result of a general experience of little being interesting or enjoyable. The chapter describes an approach to the prevention of both service user distress and challenging behaviour: Observe signs of service user distress, Identify the possible causes of the distress and attend to those causes. The chapter provides detail of booklets produced in Manchester which can be a useful tool in assisting hands-on staff to apply the approach more effectively, with help from specialist staff in some cases. Challenging behaviour is thought often to have a communicative function.
