The Kent Autistic Trust (KAT) were celebrated recently when they took home the Positive Behaviour Support Award at the National Learning Disability and Autism Awards.
The Kent Autistic Trust has always been a leading Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) force, celebrating and respecting neurodiversity and striving to have a deep understanding of the lives of autistic individuals
Tamsin Gregory-Conquest, was the ultimate winner in the PBS category judged to be the best in the country amongst selected national providers. She sat down with us to talk about her journey into PBS and what the award means to her and her team.
Like so many people, Tamsin fell into care by accident. She was a hard worker who left home and supported herself by taking a variety of jobs in the hospitality and care sectors. She began her care journey as a night support worker, working with elderly people with dementia in an EMI unit. A stint with Care in the Community working with people with Mental Health difficulties followed and then a residential home for people with LD. By now, Tamsin’s passion for the care sector had been ignited but she was finding that the management roles she was progressing towards meant less time with the people who mattered to her the most; the people she was supporting.
It was this desire to make a difference directly that led Tamsin to applying for the PBS assistant role at KAT. Whilst Tamsin had completed PBS training it wasn’t something she’d encountered much in the wild. It was often hypothetical and patchy in its implementation. She could tell straight away that KAT was different and remembers thinking how refreshing it was that PBS was something which was happening in practice throughout the organisation. She recalls that in those days PBS was a bit more formal and theoretical. She immediately got to work ensuring that the abstract was put into practice and was embedded throughout the organisation. When the Head of PBS role became available, imposter syndrome prevented her from applying for the role but after some encouragement from the Chief Executive of the Trust, she took on that leadership role and has never looked back!
Tamsin feels strongly that sitting behind a desk cannot achieve the desired results and is passionate about taking the training direct to the staff and working hands on as much as possible. This is instrumental in building good relationships with staff and wins the trust of the people she supports. She has trained on the job picking up formal qualifications along the way which partner with her practical approach. This includes the ability to train others in Studio III non aversive methods which have always been central to KA’s philosophy. Becoming a trainer was not something that came easily to Tamsin; she remembers feeling sick with anxiety about speaking publicly in the early days. She feels very strongly, however, that she needs to be able to demonstrate best practice and by doing this wins confidence and builds resilience.
Tamsin feels that her team have hit their stride. They are increasingly able to look at the big picture rather than focussing on one crisis or one individual at a time. She is looking to bigger projects, expanding co-production, working with Home Not Hospitals increasing the team’s mental health specialism and working with partner organisations to roll out Oliver McGowan training across Kent and Medway.
On her awards success Tamsin said “I am so thrilled and incredibly proud to have won the PBS Award at the National Learning Disability and Autism Awards. This award is a testament to the hard work and absolute dedication of my team in promoting positive support approaches and enhancing quality of life for the people we support. I am incredibly grateful for the recognition and would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my specialist team and all the amazing individuals I have the privilege to work and co-produce with.”
