Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner (Bank)

Job summary
There are few better opportunities to learn about people than by getting to know someone who experiences the world differently from you.

Working with autistic people challenges our assumptions about communication, perception, emotion and behaviour, and invites us to become much more curious about how the human mind works.

We are looking for someone who shares that curiosity and wants to make a difference to the life of one person and their family: someone kind, open-minded enough to listen, learn and allow the person they support to teach them what good support looks like.

This is a challenging but deeply rewarding role. You will join a small specialist service supporting one autistic man with mild learning difficulties. He is curious, active, humorous and enjoys engaging with others. He can also experience anxiety and distress, and when he does, can show behaviours of concern.

You will provide social and emotional support on his varied countryside walks and help him expand the places and activities he can access and enjoy in the community. At home, you will help him with activities that reflect his interests and develop his skills, so his days are active, meaningful and enjoyable.

You will receive ongoing, bespoke training and support from a highly experienced team committed to excellent autism practice and Positive Behaviour Support. Together, we will create the conditions for him to feel less anxious and to thrive, working towards goals that matter to him.

Job responsibilities
Job title: Bank Autism PBS Practitioner
Pay Scale: Starting at £16.00 per hour
Hours: To be negotiated at times/days agreed by both parties. We mostly offer 4 hr shifts during the morning as required to cover staff leave.
Contract: Permanent.
Location: Fishponds, Bristol.
Holiday entitlement: 28 days statutory holidays pro rata.
Responsible to: Manager

Job purpose
Alongside an experienced colleague, to provide calm, reliable support that helps the client feel secure and manage his anxiety during walks and other activities outside his home. Through consistent, emotionally attuned relationships, to build his confidence and wellbeing, uphold his freedom of choice and ensure his safety. At home, to help him prepare for outings and, when needed, support him with activities that reflect his interests and develop his skills, so that his days are active, meaningful and enjoyable.

Main duties and responsibilities

• To listen, strive to understand and empathise with the client, and to support him to gain confidence in articulating his thoughts, feelings, needs and preferences.
• To build a relationship with the client which enables him to feel comfortable and safe in your presence.
• To support the client on walks of his choice in the countryside around Bristol and surrounding counties, and occasional trips to shops, towns or other community facilities.
• To support the client on a 2:1 ratio in the community, working closely and collaboratively with experienced practitioners to ensure the client trips run smoothly and safely.
• To support the client in preparing for his outings, and when plans change, to help him engage in alternative meaningful activities at home, such as gardening, home maintenance, cooking, or other practical or leisure pursuits.
• To work collaboratively with the client, his family, care team and other professionals, following his care plans to ensure he receives consistent care.
• To reduce the client's anxiety and promote his emotional wellbeing by attending all required training to develop a good understanding of his Positive Behaviour Support Plan, so effective, agreed ways of supporting him are followed consistently.
• To provide calm verbal support and, where necessary, trained physical intervention during periods of distress, in accordance with M.R. Trust policies, training, and risk management plans, to reduce risk and promote safety for the client, those supporting him, and the public.
• To drive the client and his support practitioner to his activities and walks, or if you do not drive, to navigate on car journeys when needed, and to support the client in planning and following routes on walks, using street maps, OS maps or the OS Maps app.
• To help the client navigate social situations in the community, advocating and mediating as needed to support his understanding and inclusion.
• To accompany the client on his weekly one-mile jog if required.
• To help the client navigate the social world by helping him understand what is going on around him.
• To read important information before shifts and ensure important information is recorded and communicated across the team.
• To protect the confidentiality and privacy of the client and his family.
• To attend training, supervision, occasional incident debriefing and when possible, team meetings, and use these constructively to improve the client's support, as well as your own confidence and wellbeing.
• In the case of the client's activities being cancelled or shortened, to provide flexibility and carry out alternative domestic, administrative or any other duties that are considered relevant or appropriate to the client's support.

Person Specification
Essential

• Demonstrates a high level of empathy and understanding for the needs of the client, his family, and paid carers
• Interest in understanding the psychological and emotional world of others
• Commitment to the values and aims of the M.R. Trust
• Responsible and reliable
• Patient
• Willingness to follow care plans agreed by the M.R. Trust team to provide the client with consistency
• Mindful, attentive and observant, to reduce anxiety for the client and manage risk effectively
• Ability, with support, to work calmly and effectively in emotionally demanding circumstances which includes exposure to mild to moderate reactive aggression
• Willingness to provide emotional and practical support to the client, including occasional use of trained physical interventions to ensure safety
• Strong coping mechanisms such as a sense of humour, optimism, ability to talk through difficulties with others and/or the ability to view difficulties as opportunities for learning
• Intention to remain in the post for at least 1 year
• Able to work a morning shift most weeks for the first few months, to help build a relationship with the client
• Able to adapt when plans change, including some flexibility over finishing times and the support tasks needed on the day
• Good, clear, written and verbal communication skills
• Tactful and diplomatic
• Ability to adapt communication style and level of difficulty to the needs of others
• Basic IT skills: confident in using email, internet, and Microsoft Word independently
• Own PC, and e-mail
• Fit and able to walk for up to 1.5 hours at a brisk pace in countryside that includes mud and hills
• Interpersonal confidence (to approach the public to advocate or mediate for the client)
• Confidence in exploring new areas in country or town
• Willing to walk in countryside in all weather
• Able to jog for 1 mile, or willingness and ability to achieve this with training
• Own smart phone with ability to use maps/navigation apps with training

Desirable

• Full driving licence
• Own transport and willingness to use car during working hours to enable the client to access the community
• Confidence to drive in towns and on motorways
• Willingness to install a removable protective barrier in your car to manage potential risk on journeys (provided by the Trust)
• Good map reading or navigation skills

Experience
Essential

• Experience of supporting individuals with communication or social functioning difficulties, such as autism, learning disabilities or mental health problems, either in a personal or professional capacity
• Knowledge and understanding of autistic spectrum disability
• Good team working skills
• Experience of supporting adults with behaviours of concern, which includes physically aggressive behaviours

Desirable

• Experience of supporting individuals with autism
• Experience of providing emotional support
• Understanding of causes of anxiety and behaviours of concern in individuals with autism, including the ways the environment may contribute to this

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details
Employer name: M. R. Trust
Address: Fishponds, Bristol, Bristol, BS16 4EP, United Kingdom

Contact: Auron Newman, auron.newman@gmail.com

Date posted: 23 October 2026
Closing date: 05 November 2026
Pay scheme: Other
Salary: £16 an hour
Contract: Bank
Working pattern: Flexible working
Reference number: B0658-26-0003

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