Easy Read in Positive Behaviour Support Planning
Easy Read can strengthen Positive Behaviour Support in learning disability services when it helps people understand what support is planned, what helps them feel calmer and what staff will do when distress begins. PBS should not be a technical plan written only for professionals. Where possible, people should have accessible ways to understand and influence the support around them.
Strong providers use Easy Read as part of wider communication and accessibility in learning disability support, while connecting PBS to learning disability service pathways and support models. This matters because behaviour support is safer, calmer and more respectful when people understand routines, choices, early warning signs and recovery options as far as possible.
Concept explained clearly
Easy Read in PBS planning means using accessible information to explain the support approach in a way the person can use. It may show what helps, what makes things harder, what choices are available, who can help, where the person can go to feel calmer and what staff will do if routines change.
The aim is not to turn the full PBS plan into a simplified technical document. The aim is to create person-facing information that supports understanding, predictability and involvement.
Why it matters in real services
PBS plans can become staff-only documents. Staff may know the triggers, proactive strategies and response steps, but the person may not have accessible information about what is happening or how they can ask for help before distress escalates.
Providers should be able to evidence that Easy Read supports prevention, involvement and consistency, not simply that an accessible version of a plan exists.
What good looks like
Good Easy Read PBS information is positive, simple and focused on support. It avoids blaming language and concentrates on what helps the person feel safe, understood and in control.
Strong services demonstrate a clear line of sight from accessible PBS information to calmer routines, earlier support, reduced distress and better staff consistency.
Operational Example 1: Explaining a calming plan
Context: A person in supported living had a PBS plan that described early anxiety signs and calming responses. Staff used the plan, but the person did not have an accessible way to choose a break or ask for a quieter space.
Support approach: The provider created an Easy Read calming plan using photos of the quiet room, garden, headphones, preferred drink and trusted staff member.
Five practical steps:
- Staff identified calming options the person already accepted during settled periods.
- The Easy Read plan used familiar photos rather than generic symbols.
- The person practised choosing calming options when calm, not only during distress.
- Workers used the same words and images when early anxiety appeared.
- Managers reviewed incident data and daily records to check whether earlier support improved.
Day-to-day delivery detail: Staff introduced the plan after breakfast when the person was relaxed. Later, when the lounge became noisy, the person touched the garden photo and moved towards the back door. Staff followed the cue rather than continuing the original activity.
How effectiveness was evidenced: The person began using the garden and headphones photos before escalation. Incident records showed fewer high-distress episodes, and PBS review notes recorded the Easy Read plan as an effective early-support tool.
Deepening PBS through total communication
Easy Read should sit within total communication beyond spoken language. A person may not read words but may use photos, objects, gestures, movement, facial expression or sensory responses to show what helps.
This means staff should test Easy Read PBS materials in real routines. They should record whether the person looks, points, touches, rejects, avoids or returns to particular images. Materials should change if the person does not understand or use them.
Operational Example 2: Supporting routine changes
Context: A residential service saw repeated distress when a person’s swimming session was cancelled at short notice. Staff explained verbally, but the person became upset because the weekly routine no longer matched what they expected.
Support approach: The provider created an Easy Read change plan within the person’s PBS approach. It showed the cancelled activity, reason, alternative choice, calming option and when swimming would happen next.
Five practical steps:
- The team identified which routine changes most often led to distress.
- Staff created a simple change sequence using real activity photos.
- The person practised the change card during calm planned sessions.
- Workers used the same sequence whenever an activity changed.
- Distress, recovery time and alternative activity acceptance were reviewed.
Day-to-day delivery detail: Staff stopped repeating “not today” and instead showed the swimming photo, change card, café photo, garden photo and next swimming day. The person was given time to move the swimming photo to the later-day section.
How effectiveness was evidenced: Distress still occurred initially, but recovery time shortened. After several weeks, the person accepted an alternative activity more often, and staff records showed greater consistency in how change was explained.
Systems, workforce and consistency
Easy Read PBS materials need consistent staff practice. Staff should know when to use them, how much information to present, how long to wait and how to record the person’s response.
Supervision should explore whether staff use Easy Read during calm teaching and routine preparation, not only during distress. Handovers should identify whether the person has already been shown a change, what response they gave and whether more preparation is needed.
Operational Example 3: Supporting involvement in PBS review
Context: A person’s PBS review was due after several months of reduced incidents. The provider wanted to avoid a staff-only review that missed the person’s preferences about what support felt helpful.
Support approach: The team created an Easy Read review tool aligned with accessible information standards in learning disability services, using simple “helps me”, “I do not like” and “try this” sections.
Five practical steps:
- Staff selected the PBS areas the person could meaningfully respond to.
- The review tool used photos of actual support options and routines.
- The person was supported over several short sessions before the review meeting.
- Workers recorded repeated choices, rejection and uncertainty.
- The PBS plan was updated to reflect the person’s accessible feedback.
Day-to-day delivery detail: The person repeatedly selected the quiet-room photo and rejected a group activity prompt. Staff added this evidence to the review, showing that lower-arousal support remained important even though incidents had reduced.
How effectiveness was evidenced: The updated PBS plan reflected the person’s preferences more clearly. Review minutes showed accessible involvement, and staff supervision confirmed the revised plan was understood by the team.
Governance and evidence
The audit trail may include Easy Read PBS materials, communication profiles, preparation notes, staff observations, incident data, PBS review minutes, supervision notes, updated plans and outcome summaries.
Data may show reduced distress, shorter recovery times, increased use of calming options, clearer choice evidence or fewer repeated prompts. Qualitative evidence should explain how Easy Read helped the person understand support and influence the plan.
Commissioner and CQC expectations
Commissioners expect PBS to be personalised, preventative and evidence-led. Easy Read can help demonstrate that people are involved in behaviour support rather than simply managed through it.
CQC expects safe, person-centred care, effective communication, dignity, involvement and good governance. Inspectors may look at whether behaviour support is understood by staff, used consistently and shaped by the person’s communication.
Common pitfalls
- Creating technical PBS Easy Read documents that are still too complex.
- Using Easy Read only after distress has already escalated.
- Failing to teach calming choices during calm periods.
- Not checking whether the person understands the images used.
- Leaving Easy Read PBS materials separate from staff plans.
- Completing PBS reviews without accessible involvement evidence.
Conclusion
Easy Read can make PBS more transparent, practical and person-led when it is used carefully. Strong providers demonstrate that accessible information helps people understand routines, use calming options and influence support planning. When Easy Read is connected to PBS evidence, behaviour support becomes more respectful, consistent and outcome-focused.