Behavioral Skills Training to Increase Fidelity of Staff Searches at a Juvenile Residential Facility
Brief BST plus hidden checks keeps staff doing full room searches even when they think no one is watching.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Morosohk et al. (2025) worked with four staff in a juvenile lock-up.
The team taught the adults how to search resident rooms the right way every time.
Training had three quick parts: explain, show, and practice with feedback.
Later, supervisors watched without staff knowing and gave quick notes.
What they found
After BST, every staff member hit the full search list on every check.
When bosses watched in secret, staff still did the full search and feedback came faster.
Searches stayed sharp even when no one seemed to be looking.
How this fits with other research
Capio et al. (2013) used the same BST steps with house managers who ran trial-based FAs.
Both studies show brief BST keeps residential staff near perfect.
Luna et al. (2022) also trained juvenile justice staff, but praise rose only a little and youth behavior stayed flat.
That looks like a clash, yet Odessa measured a soft skill and gave no covert feedback.
Morosohk added hidden checks and quick correction, which locked the skill in place.
Ramer et al. (1977) proved BST works in care homes too, but they taught friendly talk, not security tasks.
The method keeps winning across decades and jobs.
Why it matters
If you run a group home, school residence, or detention hall, use BST plus sneak-peek feedback.
Teach the checklist, role-play it, watch without warning, and give a one-minute fix.
Your staff will keep doing the full routine long after training day.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Pick one daily routine, BST it today, then do one unannounced walk-through with instant feedback.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
ABSTRACT Staff training is an essential component of effective behavior analytic interventions. This study examined behavioral skills training (BST) to teach staff in a juvenile residential facility to conduct appropriate room searches. The participants in the study were four staff members over the age of 18 years old who worked in the facility. All staff increased the fidelity of room searches after BST, however, room searches took less time when an observer was not present. A feedback component was implemented after behavioral skills training if the durations of room searches were shorter when the participant was unaware that they were being observed. Room search duration increased after feedback was delivered.
Behavioral Interventions, 2025 · doi:10.1002/bin.70055