Positive Behaviour Support Plan
Positive Behaviour Support Plan for Adults & Children
Our Positive Behaviour Support services provide personalised guidance to improve overall wellbeing.
Our experienced Positive Behaviour Support Practitioners on the Sunshine Coast, Greater Brisbane and the Gold Coast work with each individual to develop an evidence-based Positive Behaviour Support Plan that improves quality of life, reduces restrictive practices, and empower participants to thrive in everyday life.
What is a Positive Behaviour Support Plan?
A Positive Behaviour Support Plan is a personalised, evidence-based document with strategies to help understand and respond to behaviours of concern in a way that improves a person’s quality of life.
All behaviour is a form of communication. A Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner looks beyond behaviours of concern to understand reasons behind the behaviour. This can include unmet needs, communication barriers and environmental triggers.
When this is understood, proactive, person-centred strategies can be developed to address and reduce behaviours. This is included in a Positive Behaviour Support Plan, supporting the individual and those around them.
A Positive Behaviour Support Plan improves quality of life. Every strategy is designed to increase meaningful participant while reducing behaviours of concern and the use of restrictive practices.
Why is a Positive Behaviour Support Plan important?
Behaviours of concern rarely occur without reason. When left unaddressed, they can lead to social isolation and increased use of restrictive practices. This can result in a significant decline in quality of life, both for the participant and for those who support them.
When regulated restrictive practices are identified, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has a legal requirement for the development of Positive Behaviour Support Plan, which must be written by a registered Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner.
An individualised, well-developed and implemented Positive Behaviour Support Plan changes this outcome and improves quality of life.
What is the purpose of a Positive Behaviour Support Plan
Positive Behaviour Support is evidence-based and regulated by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. A quality Positive Behaviour Support Plan protects and upholds human rights by building a deep understanding of why behaviours occur, providing everyone in the participant’s life with clear, consistent and tailored strategies to support the individual.
Only a registered practitioner, deemed suitable by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission can write a Positive Behaviour Support Plan. All of our behaviour support practitioners meet this requirement and are experienced across a broad range of support needs.
Understand Behaviour
Identifying the function and triggers of behaviours of concern with individualised assessment
Reducing Harm
Minimising risk to the participant and those around them using the least restrictive options
Building Skills
Teaching alternative communication and coping strategies so participants can better express their needs
Building Independence
Skills gained through develop over time, enabling participants to live more self-directed, fulfilling lives
Improved Quality of Life
Every strategy is developed and implemented to support the person’s broader well-being
Reduction of Restrictive Practices
All regulated restrictive practices must include an active reduction goal under the Behaviour Support Rules 2018
Empower Care Team
Supports, including family, have clear, consistent guidance and strategies to implement to improve outcomes
Evidence-based
Ongoing engagement and assessment provides measurable goals and data collection to review what is working over time
Types of Positive Behaviour Support Plans
Positive Behaviour Support is provided both face to face and behind the scenes, tailored to the participants needs. Quality behaviour support plans meet an individual’s needs, while respecting their dignity and upholding their rights.
Effective behaviour support plan strategies combine proactive environmental changes, early de-escalation techniques, and crisis responses, tailored to the individual and implemented consistently by the whole care team.
While each plan and strategy is specific to the individual, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission sets clear requirements for the development and review of a Positive Behaviour Support Plan. This includes templates containing protocols to promote the reduction and elimination of regulated restrictive practices, with the following required documentation.
Interim Behaviour Support Plan
An Interim Behaviour Plan is a shorter document that includes ways to help keep the person with a disability and others safe. The main focus of the plan is to safeguard the person while lowering risk.
An Interim Plan must include:
- ways to help prevent the behaviour from occurring
- ways to reduce harm when the behaviour is occurring
- if required, when and how specific restrictive practices may be used
Comprehensive Behaviour Support Plan
A Comprehensive Behaviour Plan is more detailed and includes a Functional Behaviour Assessment. This assessment examines the person’s behaviour, what is happening and why.
The Interim Plan and results of the Functional Behaviour Assessment inform the Comprehensive Plan, including:
- ways to help improve the quality of life and create positive change
- supports required to change the person’s surroundings and meet their needs
- teaching new skills and ways of coping
- support to provide when behaviours occur to lower risk
- if required, when and how specific restrictive practices may be used
- detailed steps on how to reduce and eliminate the use of restrictive practices over time.
Functional Behavioural Assessment
A Functional Behavioural Assessment (FBA) is a critical part of Positive Behaviour Support. It is a comprehensive and holistic assessment to help others better understand the person and meet their needs. This includes consideration of a broad range of biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors which contribute to and/or maintain the risks of harm.
A quality behavioural assessment includes both use direct and indirect methods of assessment to understand of functions of behaviour. This understanding is used to inform supports and to develop strategies and skills to reduce and eliminate the need for regulated restrictive practices.
This forms part of an ongoing process of assessment, intervention, monitoring, and data-based decision making and is the foundation for determining proposed strategies in the person’s comprehensive behaviour support plan, including reduction and elimination of regulated restrictive practice.
Positive Behaviour Support Plan Examples
Positive behaviour support helps people with disability live their best life. It assists others to understand why a person acts a certain way and how to better support the person to meet their needs. A behaviour support plan must be developed in consultation with the person with disability, their family, carers, and other support people, regulated by NDIS legisation.
This support is highly individualised, however, to provide general guidance, here are some of the common contexts our practitioners work in:
Restrictive Practices
Any NDIS participant subject to a regulated restrictive practice must have a Positive Behaviour Support Plan in place. The plan must document the practice, demonstrate it is the least restrictive option available, include a clear reduction goal, and be authorised by the relevant state or territory oversight body under the NDIS (Restrictive Practices and Behaviour Support) Rules 2018.
Effective Positive Behaviour Support strategies engage care teams to work together to prevent behaviour before it occurs, respond early when needed, and manage crisis situations safely. To achieve this we guide participants, families, and providers to reduce restrictions over time and improve outcomes.
Challenging Behaviour
When a participant presents with aggression, property destruction, or other high-intensity behaviour, a PBS plan identifies the underlying function of those behaviours through a functional behaviour assessment.
Every strategy is evidence-based and tailored to the individual, with clear guidance for the whole care team on both proactive prevention and safe reactive responses. This is desigend to reduce the frequency and duration of behaviours and improve quality of life.
Autism
For autistic participants, behaviours of concern are often linked to sensory sensitivities, difficulties with transitions, communication differences, or anxiety. This includes individuals with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA).
Our plans in this context are strengths-based and neurodiversity-affirming, focusing on building skills and modifying the environment, developed with the participant and care team’s active involvement.
Adults
Adults with disability deserve person-centred support that respects their autonomy and history. Positive Behaviour Support Plans for adults focus on using the least restrictive option, enhancing independence and quality of life.
An adult may be supported with a PBS Plan due to a range of reasons, including progressive neurological conditions and complex mental health concerns.
This Plan is developed in full respect of the person’s right to make decisions about their own life, consistent with Australia’s obligations under the UN CRPD.
Children
Children, including those with disability, often express unmet needs through behaviour, particularly when they lack the language or skills to communicate differently.
A Positive Behaviour Support Plan for a child can include building communication and emotional regulation. The plan will also include close involvement with parents, carers, and educators to ensure consistency across home, school, and community settings.
This is in line with the rights of children with disability under the UN CRPD and obligations under NDIS legislation.
Aged Care / Supported Living
When a participant presents with aggression, property destruction, or other high-intensity behaviour, a PBS plan identifies the underlying function of those behaviours through a functional behaviour assessment.
Every strategy is evidence-based and tailored to the individual, with clear guidance for the whole care team on both proactive prevention and safe reactive responses. This is desigend to reduce the frequency and duration of behaviours and improve quality of life.
Classroom
Classroom-based Positive Behaviour Support Plans provide teachers and support staff with a clear framework to understand and respond to behaviour in a way that keeps the learning environment safe and inclusive.
Strategies include reasonable adjustments, visual supports and structured routines, including soft transitions. Collaboration with teachers and educators is key, with resources developed in collaboration with the school team and consistent with NDIS behaviour support resources.
Dementia
Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia can include agitation, wandering, or verbal outbursts. These can be understood as behaviour expressing an unmet need.
A Positive Behaviour Support Plan for someone living with dementia focuses on environmental design, meaningful activity, consistent communication, and staff training.
This includes the least restrictive practice, aligning with Dementia Australia‘s person-centred care principles and NDIS legislation.
Self-Harm
Self-Harm or Self-Injury is highly distressing, for family and care teams. A Positive Behaviour Support Plan for complex mental health is always developed in close collaboration with the participant, family, and treating clinicians.
A PBS Plan for self-harm includes a considered functional assessment to understand what the behaviour is communicating, combined with crisis safety planning. A key focus is replacement skill-building and environmental strategies to ensure safety and use of the least restrictive practice at all times.
Funding
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is funded when a person demonstrates behaviours of concern that may be challenging in their own environment.
For example – the behaviour might challenge those around them.
PBS funding is:
- Under NDIS – Capacity Building – Support Category of Improved Relationships
- For a stated number of hours for each stated Support Item
- Specialised Behavioural Intervention Support
- Behaviour Management Plan Including Training in Behaviour Management Strategies
- Not flexible, meaning the funds cannot be used for any other therapy or support outside of the stated Support Item
- Only available for NDIS registered PBS providers
Frequently Asked Questions
Please call our friendly team on 1300 11 4769 or email us at alliedhealth@hively.com.au if you would like further information. Our friendly team are here to assist you with all of your enquiries.
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) empowers individuals to develop new, safe, ways of expressing themselves. We prioritise human rights by working collaboratively with individuals to understand their needs. PBS focuses on developing personalised strategies that reduce the need for restrictive practices and support individuals and support teams with effective communication skills to reduce behaviours of concern.
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) works to reduce or eliminate difficult behaviours of concern by working with person and the extended support team. Behaviours of concern are actions that might not be safe for the person or other people. For example, hitting themselves or others, or breaking things.
PBS is provided both face to face and behind the scenes, within the stated hours in an individual’s NDIS plan.
Both the individual Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner and the provider who provides the Positive Behaviour Support must be registered by the NDIS to provide this important support.
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) works to reduce or eliminate difficult behaviours of concern by working with person and the extended support team. Behaviours of concern are actions that might not be safe for the person or other people. For example, hitting themselves or others, or breaking things.
PBS is provided both face to face and behind the scenes, within the stated hours in an individual’s NDIS plan.
Both the individual Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner and the provider who provides the Positive Behaviour Support must be registered by the NDIS to provide this important support.
Our practitioners come to you at home, in the community and in schools to discuss and understand concerns and to develop a behaviour support plan.
A Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner (PBS Practitioner) is a specialist professional who is trained to assess, understand, and support individuals experiencing behaviours of concern—especially those with disabilities or complex support needs. Their role is to create practical, person-centred strategies that improve quality of life while reducing the need for restrictive practices.
Choosing a person-centred Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Practitioner is a key step in ensuring that support is not only effective but also respectful, empowering, and tailored to the individual’s unique needs and preferences.
Key Roles of a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner
Conduct Functional Behaviour Assessments (FBA)
They investigate the causes or “functions” of challenging behaviours by observing the individual, reviewing data, and working with families and support teams.Develop Positive Behaviour Support Plans (PBSPs)
These practitioners design tailored plans with strategies to:Prevent behaviours of concern
Teach new, more adaptive skills
Ensure respectful responses when challenges arise
Improve overall wellbeing
Train and Support Others
They coach families, carers, educators, and support staff to consistently apply strategies and understand the “why” behind them.Monitor and Review Progress
PBS Practitioners collect and analyse data to track changes in behaviour and adjust plans as needed.Ensure Ethical Practice and Safeguarding
If restrictive practices (e.g., physical restraint or seclusion) are used, practitioners must ensure these are the absolute last resort, documented, approved, and regularly reviewed under the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
Qualifications and Registration
In Australia, particularly under the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme), a PBS Practitioner:
Typically holds qualifications in psychology, social work, education, or a related allied health field.
Must demonstrate core competencies in behaviour support.
May be a Core, Proficient, Advanced or Specialist level practitioner, based on their experience and training.
Must be engaged through an NDIS-registered provider if working with participants who have restrictive practices in their plan.
A good PBS practitioner should:
Treat the individual with dignity, respect, and compassion.
Focus on the person, not just the behaviour.
Involve the individual, family, and support team in decision-making.
Value the individual’s strengths, interests, and goals.
- Work for an organisation that values the person and the pracititoner.
A PBSP is a personalised plan outlining strategies and support for individuals who exhibit behaviours of concern.
PBSPs promote positive interactions and a more supportive environment for both the individual and their caregivers. They prioritise understanding the reasons behind behaviours and developing alternative solutions, ultimately reducing the need for restrictive practices.
What is included in a PBSP?
Understanding the Person
Includes background information, communication style, strengths, interests, and important relationships.
Builds a holistic picture of the person and their environment.
Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA)
Identifies the causes or “functions” of behaviours of concern (e.g., to escape a task, gain attention, or express discomfort).
Assesses when, where, and why behaviours occur using observations and data.
Prevention Strategies
Outlines ways to change environments or routines to reduce triggers or stressors.
May include things like visual supports, structured schedules, or adjustments to communication methods.
Skill Development
Identifies new skills the person can learn to replace behaviours of concern (e.g., asking for help, using calming techniques).
Includes teaching plans that are realistic and age-appropriate.
Response Strategies
Provides safe and respectful ways for caregivers and support staff to respond to behaviours of concern if they occur.
Focuses on de-escalation and maintaining the person’s dignity.
Crisis Management (if needed)
Includes a plan for high-risk situations, ensuring safety for the individual and others.
May involve approved restrictive practices—but only as a last resort and under strict guidelines and regulation by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
Monitoring and Review
The plan is a living document, regularly reviewed and updated based on the person’s progress, changes in life circumstances, and data collected on behaviour.
A PBSP:
Empowers the individual by focusing on strengths and skill-building.
Address and reduce behaviours of concern in a proactive and respectful way.
Supports consistency across different environments (home, school, community).
Protects rights and safety, particularly when restrictive practices are involved.
PBS is a comprehensive approach to assessment, planning and intervention that focuses on addressing a person’s needs, home environment and overall quality of life. This includes working with the individual person, family, therapists, support workers, school and others involved in supporting the person.
The most important outcome in positive support is an improvement in a person’s quality of life. We come to you in your home or via telehealth to provide this support.
Positive Behaviour Support is regulated by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. There are key steps and reports a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner must develop as part of this support.
- Interim Behaviour Support Plan: This temporary plan focuses on minimising risks associated with existing restrictive practices. It needs to be completed and submitted to the NDIS Commission within 1 month after a Support Provider identifies the use of Restrictive Practices and appoints a Behaviour Practitioner.
- Functional Behavioural Assessment: This assessment dives deeper into Behaviours of Concern, identifying “where,” “when,” and the potential reasons (“hypothesis”) why the behaviours occur. This information is used to guide strategies and develop a Comprehensive Plan.
- Comprehensive Positive Behaviour Support Plan (PBSP): This comprehensive plan is developed collaboratively with the individual, their family, and support network. It incorporates the Functional Behavioural Assessment and focuses on reducing Behaviours of Concerns and minimising the use of restrictive practices. The plan must be completed and submitted to the NDIS Commission within 6 months and reviewed annually.
Please visit the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission for further information.
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is funded when a person demonstrates behaviours of concern that may be challenging in their own environment.
For example – the behaviour might challenge those around them.
PBS funding is:
- Under NDIS – Capacity Building – Support Category of Improved Relationships
- For a stated number of hours for each stated Support Item
- Specialised Behavioural Intervention Support
- Behaviour Management Plan Including Training in Behaviour Management Strategies
- Not flexible, meaning the funds cannot be used for any other therapy or support outside of the stated Support Item
- Only available for NDIS registered PBS providers
We can assist where a person would benefit from behaviour support that is not currently funded in their NDIS plan. This involves a comprehensive evaluation as part of a Functional Behavioural Assessment and Recommendations Report.
This can be funded out of Capacity Building, Improved Daily Living (IDL) in an individual NDIS plan.
This report will:
- Identify potential behaviours of concern
- Recommend the need for Behaviour Support
- Provide evidence for funding allocation in the “Improved Relationships” category during your next NDIS plan review.
Note: This use of improved daily living funds covers information gathering and report writing only. It doesn’t include development of Behaviour Support strategies or ongoing support services.
Behaviours of Concern can affect a person’s well-being, social inclusion, and physical safety, or disrupt their daily life.
Examples include, but are not limited to: self-harm, physical or verbal aggression toward others, disruptive behaviour, running away, social withdrawal or difficulty communicating needs effectively.
Positive Behaviour Support Practitioners seek to understand concerning behaviours in a supportive environment to change things for the better.
Restrictive practices are interventions that limit a person’s freedom of movement or access to activities. These are used as a last resort and aim to be minimized or eliminated through Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) strategies.
As defined by NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Commission, this includes:
- Seclusion: Confining an individual in a room.
- Environmental Restraint: Limiting access to specific areas or items.
- Chemical Restraint: Medication used primarily to influence behaviour (excluding medications for medical reasons).
- Mechanical Restraint: Devices used to restrict movement (e.g., wheelchair seatbelt for someone who can walk).
- Physical Restraint: Physical force used to restrict or control movement.
PBS prioritises understanding the reasons behind behaviours and developing alternative strategies, reducing the need for restrictive practices whenever possible and improving overall quality of life.
Our Positive Behaviour Support Practitioners are available to provide support on the Sunshine Coast, Greater Brisbane and Gold Coast regions.
In the sunny Gold Coast, this includes both the North and South Gold Coast, from Coolangatta to Coomera and surrounds.
In Greater Brisbane we support all areas in the Moreton Bay region / Caboolture, North Lakes, Brisbane Bayside, Wider Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich and surrounds.
Our Sunshine Coast team is supported by experienced Team Leader and Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner Sian McCue.
We provide Positive Behaviour Support services in Noosa, Coolum Beach, Maroochydore, Mooloolaba, Maleny, Montville, Buderim, Nambour, Currimundi, Caloundra, Golden Beach, Beerwah, Glass House Mountains and surrounds in the beautiful Sunshine Coast region.
For regional or rural clients, telehealth services ensure no one misses out on vital support.
We offer both telehealth and face-to-face services. Please discuss your individual requirements with us and we will work with you to ensure you are comfortable and your support needs are accommodated.
Yes. Client parking can be located under directly behind our building or there is free on street parking directly in front of the clinic.
Yes. We have rooms available on our ground floor, with wheelchair accessible entry. Please advise if you require an accessible room.
Servicing the Gold Coast, Greater Brisbane & Sunshine Coast.
Telehealth available.
