Difficulties faced by social care staff when managing challenging behaviour

Many people with a learning disability live in community settings supported by social care staff. A relatively high proportion of staff will support an individual who displays challenging behaviour (Emerson et al 2000) but they may lack the experience, training or skills to manage it safely and effectively. This has serious implications for the client, for the staff and ultimately for service costs (Feldman et al 2004). Moreover, these issues must be addressed at an individual, team and organisational level (Gentry 2001).