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Tip of the Week: Implementing the NABITA Standards for BITs (Part XX)

NABITA membership has more than doubled over the last year. To help new members implement the NABITA Standards for Behavioral Intervention Teams (BITs), and to provide continuing members with a refresher, NABITA is launching a Tip of the Week series specifically focused on the BIT Standards. Twenty standards, twenty Tips of the Week (maybe more) aimed specifically at the practical application of the BIT Standards (Note: the twenty Tips may not be published consecutively so that NABITA can bring you timely updates regarding other topics).

Standard 20. Team Audit: Teams assess the BIT structure and processes and ensure it is functioning well and aligning with best practices.

BITs should use the NABITA Standards Self-Assessment Tool (SSAT) to review their structure, process, and quality assurance and assessment elements every two years. The SSAT is a tool that accompanies the 2018 NABITA Standards for Behavioral Intervention Teams. Using this tool, the BIT can assess their performance on each of the 20 standards to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. The results of the assessment should guide future training, professional development, and policy revisions for the BIT. BITs may choose to have internal (i.e., BIT members) or external (e.g., frequent referral sources, supervisors) individuals involved in the assessment process. Such an approach allows BITs to collect perspectives from a variety of vantage points.

Practical tip – When conducting the self-assessment, BITs should allow members to complete the team assessment individually. Once each member has completed the assessment individually, teams should come together to share their results and discuss any discrepancies in scoring. If all members agree on a standard’s score, then the team may adopt that score as the team’s overall score. If discrepancies exist, members should engage in professional and productive discussions regarding their perspectives. A BIT is a collaborative endeavor at its core, so BIT assessment ought to be a collaboration that leverages and trusts the perspectives and expertise of the individuals on the team. Once members have shared, members should work to build consensus around a score and a plan of action.

Tim Cason, M.Ed., Consultant, TNG