What Is Positive Behaviour Support? A Guide for NDIS Participants and Families
Positive behaviour support (PBS) is an approach used across the NDIS to understand why a person acts in a certain way and how the people around them can better meet their needs. This guide explains what positive behaviour support is, what a behaviour support plan includes, how restrictive practices are regulated and how families can be involved.
What Is Positive Behaviour Support?
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission describes positive behaviour support as an evidence, values and rights based approach. It focuses on improving a person’s quality of life by understanding the reasons behind their behaviour and finding ways to meet their individual needs.
Rather than focusing only on the behaviour itself, PBS looks at the whole person: their communication, health, environment, routines, relationships and what a good life looks like to them.
Teaching New Skills
Helping the person learn skills that meet the same need in a different way, such as new ways to communicate.
Changing the Environment
Adjusting routines, spaces or demands that may be contributing to distress.
Guiding the Support Team
Giving families, support workers and providers consistent strategies to follow.
Focusing on Quality of Life
Building in the activities, relationships and choices that matter to the person.
What Is a Behaviour Support Plan?
Positive behaviour support strategies are written down in a behaviour support plan. The plan is prepared with the person, their family, carers and other support people, and it is tailored to the person’s needs and dignity.
- A functional behaviour assessment to understand what is happening and why
- Proactive strategies, including changes to the person's environment
- Opportunities to develop new skills
- Response strategies for when a behaviour of concern occurs
- If, when and how any regulated restrictive practice is used, with a plan to fade it out
Where a plan is needed quickly, an interim behaviour support plan sets out general preventative and response strategies to keep everyone safe while the full assessment is completed.
Restrictive Practices and the NDIS
A restrictive practice is any practice or intervention that restricts the rights or freedom of movement of a person with disability. The NDIS Commission regulates five types: seclusion, chemical restraint, mechanical restraint, physical restraint and environmental restraint.
The Commission is committed to reducing and eliminating restrictive practices. NDIS participants subject to a regulated restrictive practice must have a behaviour support plan, and the practice must be:
Who Provides Positive Behaviour Support?
Behaviour support plans are developed by NDIS behaviour support practitioners, who are people the NDIS Commissioner considers suitable to do behaviour support assessments and write plans. Providers that develop plans must be registered with the NDIS Commission for specialist positive behaviour support. Practitioners are guided by the Commission’s Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework.
How Families and Carers Can Be Involved
Positive behaviour support is a team effort. Family members, support workers and providers help by sharing what they notice, collecting information, contributing to planning discussions and using the agreed strategies consistently. The person themselves stays at the centre of every decision.
Positive Behaviour Support With GHCA
GHCA’s behaviour support practitioners work with NDIS participants, families and support teams in Parramatta and beyond. Learn more on our Positive Behaviour Support page.
Talk to Us About Behaviour Support
Call 1300 157 715, Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, or send us a referral. Our NDIS Provider Number is 4050030708.