Dr Astrid Birgden1
1Just Forensic, Australia, 2Deakin University, Australia
Biography:
Dr Birgden is a forensic/clinical psychologist who has worked with both mainstream sexual, violent and drug-related offenders, and offenders with cognitive impairment. She established one of the first of four Behaviour Intervention Support Teams in Melbourne in 1990. She co-wrote the Victorian Positive Practice Framework, led the first draft of the NDIS PBS Capability Framework, and wrote the NDIS Compendium of PBS Resources. She established and managed a drug treatment prison in Sydney, and in 2022 she was the Warden of a 1200-bed jail in New Orleans (US) for 18 months. She is published in offender rehabilitation and human rights.
Abstract:
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) national roll-out commenced in 2016 with the expectation that evidence-based behaviour support to reduce behaviours of concern would occur. Forensic disability clients with cognitive impairments requiring support became evident. Within this cohort, those residing in the community and engaging in substance use/misuse/abuse pose a particular dilemma. NDIS does not fund co-existing substance use issues and mainstream services are to provide intervention. However, mainstream services are not equipped to respond to cognitive impairment. Meanwhile providers of Supported Independent Living are attempting to balance dignity of risk against duty of care, client needs against staff safety, and client rights against community safety. A wicked problem is a social problem that is considered almost impossible to solve due to its complex and interconnected nature, lack of clarity in its aim and solutions, and subject to real-world constraints that hinder risk-free solutions. Forensic disability clients who engage in substance use in the community pose such a problem. Based on her experience as an NDIS Behaviour Support Specialist, the presenter will consider the unique features of this client group in attempting to replace maladaptive behaviours with functionally equivalent adaptive behaviours, to reluctant and anti-social clients within a human rights framework.