About Us

Procare Wales Limited is an ABA service, this means that our culture embodies the teachings of Applied Behaviour Analysis in everything that we do.

Behaviour Analysis is the scientific study of learning and behaviour, it is not a treatment or a therapy. It is a science devoted to the understanding and improvement of human behaviour. All approaches derived from the science are evidence based and are data led. All recommendations are based on data collection which enables them to be person specific and individualised to each person. Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is the application of Behaviour Analysis to situations that society thinks are socially important, it is the application of the philosophy and science of behaviourism and is not the name of a service delivery model. Evidence highlights those interventions derived from the principles of ABA are effective in helping people gain new skills, as well as reducing or eradicating behaviours that might be harmful to them or others. The overall aim of Behaviour analysis is to enable people to reach their own potential and improve their quality of life.

Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is an approach aimed at improving the quality of life of people with developmental disabilities whose behaviour challenges others because it is deemed as unacceptable in society. PBS is a multi-layered framework, and applied behaviour analysis is the centrally defining component. It would not be possible to deliver PBS in the absence of ABA. ABA is a philosophy and science devoted to improving important behaviour in real life contexts, by applying basic behavioural principles to socially significant problems. The human and economic and costs associated with behaviour described as concerning or challenging make it a socially significant problem. Undesirable behaviours are frequently responded to by community exclusion and the use of restrictive practices. PBS is a service delivery model that has benefitted from implementing the conceptual and procedural frameworks developed by specialists in ABA. In practice, ABA is characterised by operationally defining behaviour, observing its occurrence and non-occurrence, establishing functional relations, setting goals for behaviour change, choosing validated intervention procedures that are consistent with the function, measuring treatment integrity and behavioural change, and making data-based decisions. Always within the context of improving opportunities and quality of life for the individual concerned.

The number of specialist services implementing PBS and ABA are limited, these are the services that are based on the needs of the individuals that they support and not the needs of the business. They are often described as costly, due to them being labour intensive, resource rich and requiring staff with a specialist skill set. This may be a true representation of an initial intensive service. However, this is not a long-term outcome. An Intensive service is not permanent, it is limited to approximately two years. During this time, PBS aims to improve an individual’s quality of life and the lives of those around by:

• Reducing the occurrence of challenging behaviour and the impact that this has.
• Increasing the number of opportunities to do what is functionally important to them.

It is fair more ethical to spend the budget in this way than in the form of restrictive practices and excluding individuals from the community, in many cases resulting in individuals being placed in high secure hospitals/prisons.

PBS enables individuals to:

• Remain living locally.
• Reduce the excessive placement costs in the future.

The few services who are able to implement PBS correctly and effectively have a proven track record to serve individuals whose behaviour is labelled as complex and challenging.