Will’s Journey: A Home of His Own, Paid Employment and a Fuller Adult Life

The guiding principle behind a six-year journey of trust, opportunity and growth.

“Support opportunities of discovery rather than allowing risk to limit someone’s life.”

There are some journeys that remind us why we do what we do. Will’s is one of them.
Will is a young person who faced significant support needs and limited opportunities – someone whose future felt uncertain, and whose voice risked being overlooked. Yet what unfolded over the years is nothing short of remarkable.

Through Positive Behaviour Support (PBS), Will and the care team built strong, trusting relationships, the kind that cannot be manufactured or hurried. And through those relationships, he began to be seen not as a set of needs to be managed, but as a person with dreams worth pursuing. He was supported in taking positive risks, learning through experience, and developing the quiet, hard-won resilience that comes only from being trusted to try. At every stage, the question was not simply how to reduce behaviour but how to support Will in building a meaningful adult life.

And what we are sure of is that people flourish when someone takes the time to truly understand their inner world.

WHEN SUPPORT BEGAN	WILL’S LIFE TODAY
Will’s world had become very limited, with most of his time spent at home.	Will lives in his own home and is actively involved in his community.
Community access was restricted by practical difficulties and safety concerns.	He participates in community life and continues to develop adult skills and relationships.
He had very little experience of formal support and found unfamiliar people difficult to accept.	He has trusting support relationships and works with minimal support in his job.
Opportunities to develop everyday adult independence had been limited.	He makes more decisions about his home, work, relationships and day-to-day life.
Changes to plans, social boundaries and the balance between freedom and support could be difficult.	He has greater confidence, emotional resilience and understanding of relationships.
His support had included 2:1 staffing.	Following gradual, planned transitions, his support has reduced to 1:1.
Meaningful occupation and paid work remained an aspiration.	He has paid warehouse employment, earns his own money and contributes as a valued team member.

Implementing Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Approach:

Following our least-restrictive practices model of work, the teams sought to understand what Will communicated through his behaviour and how, by gradually getting to know him, they could create more opportunities for safe participation.

Our PBS Specialists:

Explored the function behind behaviours
Developed a consistent approach across the support team
Invested time in building trusting relationships
Learned Will’s individual communication style and preferences
Supported Will to participate in the community more safely

Yearly milestones: A foundation of trust and consistency in care, which then created the conditions for Will to learn, take part, and progress.

Will’s Progress and Outcomes in 2021-2022

Support goal: From managing immediate risk to enabling greater independence

Will increasingly wanted to participate in ordinary community and home life, and he needed real opportunities to practice skills, make choices and learn through experience. He was ready to become more involved in planning his own life, while still receiving guidance around genuine risks.

In this phase, PBS focused on supporting Will with:

Community-based activities
Developing cooking skills and responsibility for household tasks
Opportunities for decision-making, personal choice and control
Increased involvement in planning his daily life

Yearly Milestones: Unnecessary restrictions reduced. Will’s confidence in himself and trust in the team grew. Will became more willing to accept support where risks were identified.

Will’s Progress and Outcomes in 2022-2023

Will’s Wish: To experience meaningful adult relationships.

Like many young adults, he wanted companionship and hoped that he might eventually meet a partner. At the beginning, some social and emotional aspects of relationships were quite challenging for Will to navigate.

Will’s Challenges and Experiences:

Developed intense attachments and found rejection difficult to process.
Found difficulty in distinguishing family, romantic, friendship, and professional relationships.
Needed support to understand social expectations, emotional boundaries, consent and mutual feelings.
Learning, reassurance and opportunities to practice maintaining friendships appropriately.

The team didn’t avoid sensitive or difficult conversations. Will was supported to learn about real adult experiences in a safe and respectful way.

PBS Strategies the Team Focused on:

Relationship workshops that explored different types of connection.
Social stories and visual support tailored to Will’s understanding.
Sexual health education and conversations about consent and mutual choice.
Internet safety work to support safer online interactions.
Community-based opportunities to apply learning in everyday settings.
Open exploration of friendships, family, professional, and romantic relationships.

Yearly Milestones: Will developed a clearer understanding of relationship types, social expectations, consent and mutual choice, and how to sustain friendships more appropriately.

Will’s Progress and Outcomes in 2023

Will’s Wish:Choosing a home of his own

As his skills and confidence increased, attention turned to one of Will’s biggest aspirations: having a home of his own. The transition was treated as a process to be shaped with Will, and not a placement decision to be made for him.

Through person-centred planning with the care team, Will was encouraged and able to:

Take part in viewing properties and choosing where he wanted to live.
Select décor and colours of his liking and help plan an environment that reflected his identity and preferences.
Consider how he wanted visitors to behave in his home and began establishing his own expectations and boundaries.
Has a home of his own, which represented choice, adulthood and the opportunity to make more decisions about daily life.

Preparation was gradual, accessible and consistent, helping Will understand the change and remain actively involved throughout.

Our PBS specialists and support workers:

Used social stories to make the move and new expectations easier to understand.
Planned the transition carefully rather than introducing a sudden change.
Prepared Will and maintained consistent communication.
Supported him to make decisions about the property, its appearance and how life there would work.

💬“WG often described himself as becoming a ‘big man’ – a phrase that reflected his growing confidence and adult identity.” – Tracey Prewett, Family Relationship Manager at Leaf Complex Care.

Yearly Milestones: Will successfully moved into his own home. He took pride in being more independent, making his own decisions, creating a home that represented who he was and being treated as an adult.

Will’s Progress and Outcomes in 2023-2025

Support goal: To maintain a capable, emotionally safe environment.

Although there were difficulties with an incoming provider and some challenging experiences, staff continued to prioritise:

Maintaining consistency through periods of uncertainty and change.
Protecting trusting relationships rather than withdrawing familiar support abruptly.
Using professional judgement to balance independence with Will’s current emotional needs.
Continuing emotional support and respectful communication.

Yearly Milestones: Over time, Will regained confidence and continued moving forward.

Will’s Progress and Outcomes in 2025-2026

One of the most significant achievements in Will’s journey was securing paid employment in a warehouse. Work gave him the opportunity to contribute, build relationships and experience the responsibilities and rewards of adult life.

Will’s Experiences:

Contributes as a valued member of the warehouse team.
Earns his own money and experiences genuine adult responsibility.
Builds new relationships through work and operates with minimal support in that environment.
Employment has strengthened his confidence, self-worth, community inclusion and sense of meaningful occupation.

These achievements represented several long-term PBS outcomes.

Alongside employment, changes to WG’s wider support were introduced gradually and with his involvement. Following years of positive development, Will experienced times of significant improvement and genuine adult responsibility.

Reduction in Support: 2:1 to 1:1

Current Outcomes: Lives in his own home, holds paid employment, maintains community connections, enjoys greater independence, makes more decisions about his life, continues to develop adult skills and relationships.

Yet another cheerful moment we planned for Will – his birthday surprise gathering!

The PBS Principles Running Through Every Stage

Will’s progress was not the result of a single intervention or moment. It grew from six PBS principles that remained consistent as his circumstances, aspirations and support needs changed. Using PBS meant opening up more opportunities in Will’s life.