JARGON BUSTER 'B'

BACH FLOWER THERAPY - Bach Flower therapy is a treatment involving the use of Bach Flower Remedies - a series of 38 flower therapies developed in 1930 by an English homeopath, Edward Bach. Each of the 38 remedies are made up of a mixture of water, brandy and diluted flower essences derived from petals, with each of the specific formulas being developed to treat a certain emotion or negative state of mind one may be suffering from. The remedies are taken by adding a few drops to a glass of water and sipping it, or by dropping the remedies directly onto the tongue.

BACKGROUND SUPPORT - On-call or emergency support that is available in extra-care or supported housing, in case it is required by people living there. It is separate to the planned care and support people receive. The cost of providing background support may be added as an additional charge to people’s extra-care or supported housing costs, if they pay for this.

BARRED LIST - An official list of people who, due to things they have done in the past, are unsuitable to work or volunteer with children or with adults who may be at risk of harm or abuse. A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check shows whether or not a person is on the barred list.

BEACON SERVICE - A service that highlights how something can be done differently and better, and shares what it has learned with other organisations.

BED BASED INTERMEDIATE CARE - Care and support provided in a different place to a person’s home, such as a community hospital, residential care home or nursing home, either to prevent a person being admitted to hospital, or to support them when they leave hospital.

BED BLOCKER - A label applied to people who are ready to leave hospital but cannot be discharged for a number of reasons, which are usually nothing to do with the person, for example because NHS paperwork hasn’t been completed, or care and support isn’t in place.

BEHAVIOUR DISORDERS - When someone’s behaviour is persistently different to what is usually accepted, and causes difficulties for the person and the people around them. ‘Symptoms’ may include disruptive, antisocial or aggressive behaviour, poor relationships, and problems with concentrating and paying attention.

BEHAVIOUR INTERVENTION - A type of therapy that aims to help a person understand and change their behaviour, if it is causing problems for them.

BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT PLAN - A written document to help support adults and children before, during and after incidents of distressed behaviour, and to keep everyone safe. The plan should explain how to help the person communicate, and how to help them get the support they need. It should also describe the kind of situations the person finds difficult and explain what can be done to make things easier for them.

BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT SPECIALIST - A person who has training in helping people and their family members and carers to understand and change their behaviour if it is causing problems for them.

BEHAVIOUR THAT CHALLENGES - A term used to describe behaviour like hitting or kicking other people, throwing things or self-harming. This behaviour is described as challenging when it affects the person’s safety and quality of life and/or the safety or quality of life of people around them.

BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY - As the name suggest behavioural therapy focuses on the persons responses and actions in different situations. Underlying the therapy is the principal that if unhelpful behaviours are learned they can also be unlearned.

BENCHMARK - A way of comparing the same type of service in different places. The level of quality that every service should provide is set as a ‘benchmark’, and each service is measured against it and compared. ‘Benchmarking’ in this way should help services to work out how they can do things better and where they are doing well.

BEST INTERESTS - If a person has been assessed as lacking capacity to make a specific decision at the time that it needs to be made, then any action taken or decision made for or on behalf of that person must be done in a way that will have the most benefit to them (their ‘best interests’). This is principle 4 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

BEST INTERESTS ASSESSMENT - An assessment to decide whether a person is, or may be, deprived of their liberty in a care home and hospital, and if so, whether this is in the best interests of the person affected.

BEST INTEREST ASSESSOR - A qualified person like a social worker who completes a Mental Capacity Assessment to decide whether an adult lacks the capacity to consent to care and treatment in a care home or a hospital. Then, if the person lacks capacity to content, the worker completes a Best Interests Assessment to decide whether they have been deprived of their liberty, and if so whether this is in the person’s best interests.

BEST PRACTICE - A way of doing something that has been shown to be the most effective way of doing it.

BETTER CARE EXCHANGE - An online community – like a social network – for everyone who is involved in bringing health and social care organisations together in a local area. It is an opportunity to share queries, concerns and information about the Better Care Fund.

BI-ERASURE - The erasure, either deliberate or incidental, of bisexual identities, lives, and experiences. GLAAD defines it as: "a pervasive problem in which the existence or legitimacy of bisexuality (either in general or in regard to an individual) is questioned or denied outright.”

BIGENDER - "Having more than one gender, generally fluctuating between two gender identities", according to GenderGP.

BIPHOBIA - The fear or dislike of a person who identifies as (or is perceived to be) bisexual based on prejudice or negative attitudes, beliefs, or views about bi people.

BIPOLAR / BIPOLAR DISORDER - Formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings. These include emotional highs, also known as mania or hypomania, and lows, also known as depression. Hypomania is less extreme than mania.

BISEXUAL (or bi) - An umbrella term that describes an emotional, romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender.

BLOCK CONTRACT - An agreement between a commissioner (such as a council) and an organisation to provide a service to a number of people, for a fixed amount of time, for a fixed sum of money. The number of people who receive the service may not be fixed, and the exact type of care and support they receive may not be specified. This type of contract is not tailored to people’s individual needs.

BLOCK PURCHASE - When an organisation such as a local council pays a provider for a service for a group of people with particular care and support requirements. Because block purchases guarantee an amount of work for a provider, services usually cost the council less. However, people who require these services may not have much choice about who provides their care or what they receive.

BOBO DOLL EXPERIMENT - The Bobo Doll Experiment was a study by Albert Bandura to investigate if social behaviours can be learned by observing others in the action. According to behaviourists, learning occurs only when a behaviour results in rewards or punishment. However, Bandura didn't believe the framework of rewards and punishments adequately explained many aspects of everyday human behaviour. Bobo Dolls are large inflatable clowns shaped like a bowling ball, so they roll upward if punched or knocked down. Badura used a five-foot Bobo doll. He took a group of children who were then split into three groups, the first group see an adult modelling aggressive behaviour, the second group who see an adult model nonaggressive behaviour and a third control group who see an adult not modelling any behaviour.

BODY MAP - A diagram of a body that information about physical injuries can be shown on.

BORDERLINE PATTERN - Refers to a pattern of instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behaviour that are seen in people with Borderline Personality Disorder.

BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER (BPD) - Is a specific type of mood disorder that affects how the person interacts with others. It's the most considered to be the most commonly diagnosed personality disorder. In general, someone with a personality disorder will differ significantly from an average person in terms of how he or she thinks, perceives, feels, or relates to others and their situation.

BOWEN TECHNIQUE - The Bowen Technique is a recognised hands-on complementary therapy. It involves gently stretching the fascia — the soft tissue that covers all your muscles and organs — to promote pain relief and relaxation.

BP - See BIPOLAR / BIPOLAR DISORDER

BPD – See BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER

BROKER (also known as CARE NAVIGATOR) - Someone whose job it is to provide people with advice and information about care and support services available in their area and how much they cost, so that people can choose to purchase the care and support that best meets their needs. Brokers can also help people think about different ways they can get support, for example by making arrangements with friends and family. Brokerage can be provided by local councils, voluntary organisations or private companies.

BUTCH - “Butch” is a term used in LBT culture to describe someone who expresses themselves in a typically masculine way. Please Note - There are other identities within the scope of butch, such as ‘soft butch’ and ‘stone butch’. You shouldn’t use these terms about someone unless you know they identify with them.