What does my support network look like?

There are different ways of thinking about someone with a behaviour support plan’s support network, including how they see themselves in relation to it and also who might be in their Circle of Support (download Word version for desktop). This is useful, because everyone’s situation, needs and wants differ.

Who is closest to (or most important to) a person in their support network might vary from day to day (or even from hour to hour) depending on their context and needs in any situation. Alternatively, a person’s support network might be relatively stable and have little change.

Many people have relationships across various groups, and as they meet new people, those relationships may move into different groups over time.

Sometimes the person with disability might consider themselves at the centre of a circle, with their support network uniting around them to provide support.

Sometimes the person with disability prefers a support network that shows them as an equal, where things happen with them, not around them, such as this model:

What does my support network look like? (download Word version for desktop) includes templates for each of these models that you can discuss with a participant and complete together and you can also download an A3 support network template if you prefer a larger size.

As a behaviour support practitioner, engage the behaviour support participant to understand how they view themselves, their support network and their place in it.

A valuable tool for identifying the most trusted people in the participant's support network is the Hand of Trust (download Word version for desktop). This can also be helpful visual tool for people who may not have a clear understanding of who is in their support network and what it looks like.

The Hand of Trust (download Word version for desktop) can be used by itself, or as a tool to help build a Circle of Support. It can help identify the people who will form part of the participant's 'inner circle' (ie: the people they trust and would go to for advice and support).

The people in The Hand of Trust are chosen by the participant. The result should include a small group of people the person trusts most and who are most important to them.

The participant should choose people for their Hand of Trust because they provide a certain level of security in their lives.

The participant’s Hand of Trust can include friends, family and other people in their support network. These people usually help the person, for example support with problem-solving and achieving personal goals.

Importantly they can also provide emotional support, comfort and encouragement, especially where they are a peer with disability. A shared live experience can be an important part of building relationships of trust.

The people chosen might be selected for a range of reasons. For example, they might provide the person with:

People on the Hand of Trust might not know they have been chosen as one of the participant’s most trusted people.

This does not matter; the important factor is the participant knows who they can trust and that the trusted people are there when needed.

The Hand of Trust can be used during the behaviour support process to identify trusted people in the participant’s life.

You can talk to the person about the people they want on their Hand of Trust.

You can then check their level of comfort with you contacting those people as part of the behaviour support planning and implementation process.

You can also talk to them about a Circle of Support. If the person doesn’t have a Circle of Support, the Hand of Trust can be used to identify who might help to build one.

Some people will not have a Circle of Support or be in a position to build one. In that case, the Hand of Trust (download Word version for desktop) can help them to take ownership and control of their choices and decisions, without needing a more formalised Circle of Support.