Understanding Positive Behaviour Support: What Families Need to Know

If someone in your family has recently been referred for Positive Behaviour Support through the NDIS, you probably have questions. What does this actually involve? Who delivers it? What will the process look like?

These are important questions, and they deserve clear answers. Positive Behaviour Support is a significant but often misunderstood area of the NDIS. Many families come to it expecting something very different from what it actually is.

This guide explains what Positive Behaviour Support means in practice, what a Behaviour Support Plan includes, how funding works, and what you can expect as a family member or representative throughout the process.

What is Positive Behaviour Support?

Positive Behaviour Support is an evidence-based, person-centred approach to understanding and responding to behaviours of concern. It is grounded in the principle that all behaviour communicates something, and that lasting change comes from understanding what a person needs, not from punishment or control.

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission describes Positive Behaviour Support as an evidence-based, value-driven and rights-based approach that focuses on improving a person's quality of life and understanding the reasons behind behaviour. Rather than trying to stop behaviours through force or restriction, Positive Behaviour Support works to identify unmet needs and develop strategies that address those needs in positive, respectful ways.

This might include teaching new skills, making changes to a person's environment, adjusting how support is delivered, or providing guidance to the people around them. The goal is always to improve quality of life and reduce the likelihood of behaviours of concern occurring in the first place.

It is worth being clear about what Positive Behaviour Support is not. It is not a form of punishment. It is not about compliance or making someone "easier to manage." It is not behaviour modification. It is a framework built on dignity, respect, and evidence.

What is a Behaviour Support Plan?

A Behaviour Support Plan is the document at the centre of Positive Behaviour Support. It is developed by a Behaviour Support Practitioner and provides a structured, individualised set of strategies for everyone involved in a person's support.

Under the NDIS, a Behaviour Support Plan provides strategies to address behaviours of concern while meeting the individual's needs, respecting their dignity, and working to improve their quality of life.

A comprehensive Behaviour Support Plan typically includes:

A Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA) — a detailed assessment of the person's strengths, preferences, support needs, and the factors contributing to behaviours of concern
Proactive strategies designed to prevent behaviours of concern from occurring, such as changes to routines, environments, or support approaches
Reactive strategies that outline how to respond safely if behaviours of concern do occur
Skill-building strategies that support the person to develop new ways of communicating their needs
A plan for reducing and eliminating any restrictive practices currently in use
Lodgement with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission where the plan includes restrictive practices
A schedule for review, at minimum every 12 months for plans that include restrictive practices
Clear guidance for everyone involved in the person's support

The plan is not a static document. It should be reviewed and updated regularly as the person's circumstances, needs, and progress change over time. Families and representatives are typically involved in the development process, and your input about the person's history, preferences, and daily life is genuinely valuable.

The role of a Behaviour Support Practitioner

A Behaviour Support Practitioner is the professional responsible for conducting assessments and developing Behaviour Support Plans. Under the NDIS, this is a regulated role with specific requirements.

To develop Behaviour Support Plans, a practitioner must be assessed as suitable by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. This suitability assessment considers the practitioner's qualifications, skills, and experience against the Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework, which outlines the knowledge and competencies required at different levels of practice.

It is worth noting that practitioners who have not yet been assessed as suitable by the Commission cannot conduct Functional Behaviour Assessments or develop Behaviour Support Plans, even under supervision. This is an important safeguard to be aware of when choosing a provider.

Behaviour Support Practitioners must be employed or engaged by a registered specialist behaviour support provider. They work closely with the participant, their families and representatives, and others involved in the person's support to understand the full picture before developing a plan.

What a Behaviour Support Practitioner does in practice:

Conducts a Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA), including interviews with the person, their family, and support team
Reviews existing records, reports, and relevant history
Observes the person in their daily environment where possible
Develops a Behaviour Support Plan with evidence-based strategies
Provides training and guidance to the people implementing the plan
Reviews and updates the plan over time based on how things are going

It is important to note that a Behaviour Support Practitioner develops the plan, while the people who deliver day-to-day support are responsible for implementing it. These are two distinct roles within the NDIS framework.

Understanding restrictive practices

Restrictive practices are an area families often find confronting. A restrictive practice is any practice or intervention that limits a person's rights or freedom of movement. Under the NDIS, the use of restrictive practices is heavily regulated, and the long-term goal is always their reduction and elimination.

The NDIS Commission regulates five types of restrictive practices:

Seclusion: when a person is alone in a room or space and is not allowed to leave.
Chemical restraint: when medication is used for the purpose of influencing a person's behaviour, rather than treating a medical condition.
Mechanical restraint: when a device or equipment is used to restrict a person's movement or behaviour.
Physical restraint: when someone physically holds a person to restrict their movement.
Environmental restraint: when a person is restricted from accessing certain places, things, or activities.

Restrictive practices should only ever be used as a last resort, when there is an immediate risk of harm, and they must be included in a Behaviour Support Plan developed by a suitable Behaviour Support Practitioner. The NDIS Commission's position is that restrictive practices do not result in lasting positive change and do not meet the person's needs or improve their quality of life. The long-term goal is always to reduce and eliminate their use.

Where regulated restrictive practices are in place, the Behaviour Support Practitioner must prepare an interim Behaviour Support Plan within one month, and a comprehensive Behaviour Support Plan within six months. Both must be lodged with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

Each state and territory also has its own authorisation requirements for restrictive practices. In Victoria, an Authorised Program Officer (APO) plays a key oversight role within implementing providers. The APO is responsible for reviewing the use of restrictive practices within their organisation, ensuring compliance with authorisation requirements, and actively working toward their reduction over time. Other states and territories have their own authorisation structures and processes.

For families, the key thing to understand is that if restrictive practices are currently being used, Positive Behaviour Support should be working toward reducing them. Your Behaviour Support Practitioner should be able to explain what restrictive practices are in place, why they are being used, and what the plan is for reducing them.

How Positive Behaviour Support funding works under the NDIS

Positive Behaviour Support is typically funded under the Capacity Building budget in an NDIS plan, specifically within the Improved Relationships support category, or the Behaviour Support sub-category in newer PACE plans. Both sit under Capacity Building. This funding is stated, meaning it must be used for the purpose it was allocated for and cannot be redirected to other support categories.

Funding may cover:

Behaviour assessments
Development of a Behaviour Support Plan
Training for support workers and others who implement the plan
Ongoing review and monitoring of the plan
Interim Behaviour Support Plans where urgently needed

The amount of funding allocated depends on the complexity of the person's situation and is determined by the NDIA as part of the planning process. If you believe a participant needs Positive Behaviour Support but it is not currently funded in their plan, this can be raised during a plan reassessment or through your support coordinator.

It is worth noting that funding for behaviour support is separate from funding for day-to-day support delivery. The two serve different purposes within a participant's plan.

What families should expect during the assessment process

If your family member has been referred for Positive Behaviour Support, here is a general overview of what the process typically looks like.

Initial contact and intake

The specialist behaviour support provider will usually start with a conversation to understand the referral, the person's background, and what is currently happening. This is also a chance for you to ask questions and understand how the provider works.

Functional Behaviour Assessment

The Behaviour Support Practitioner will conduct a Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA), gathering information from multiple sources. This includes interviews with the participant, family members, support workers, and other relevant people. It may also involve direct observation, review of incident data, and consideration of the person's broader circumstances, including their health, communication, relationships, and daily routines.

Plan development

Based on the assessment, the practitioner develops a Behaviour Support Plan. This should be shared with you and the broader support team, with an opportunity to provide feedback before it is finalised.

Training and implementation

Once the plan is in place, the practitioner provides training and guidance to the people responsible for implementing it day to day. This step is essential, because a plan is only as effective as its implementation.

Review and monitoring

Positive Behaviour Support is not a one-off intervention. The plan should be reviewed regularly, with adjustments made based on what is working and what is not. You should expect to remain involved in this process, with regular updates on progress and any changes to the plan.

Throughout all of this, your knowledge as a family member or representative matters. You understand the person in ways that no assessment can fully capture, and a good Behaviour Support Practitioner will actively seek your input.

Questions worth asking your Behaviour Support Practitioner

As you navigate this process, here are some practical questions to consider:

How will you get to know our family member before developing the plan?
How will you involve us in the assessment and planning process?
What does a typical timeline look like from assessment to a completed plan?
How will the plan be shared with the support team, and what training will be provided?
What does the review process look like, and how often will the plan be updated?
If restrictive practices are in place, what is the plan for reducing them?

You have every right to ask these questions, and a good practitioner will welcome them.

A note for support coordinators

If you are a support coordinator explaining Positive Behaviour Support to families and representatives for the first time, this guide is designed to be shared. The language is plain, the structure is clear, and it covers the core concepts families commonly ask about. For more detailed information about how the NDIS Commission regulates behaviour support, the Commission's own participant fact sheets are an excellent resource.

If you would like to learn more about how Positive Behaviour Support works, or you are looking for a registered specialist behaviour support provider in Melbourne, Bendigo, or Geelong, you can explore Myxa's Positive Behaviour Support services or visit our page for families and representatives for more information about how we work with families.