If someone in your family shows behaviours that worry you, you are not alone. There is a calm, respectful way forward. Positive behaviour support is a way of understanding why behaviour happens and helping a person live a better daily life. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission expects behaviour support under the NDIS to be based on it. This guide explains what positive behaviour support is, the ideas behind it, how the process works and how your family fits in. We wrote it for the parent, partner or carer in the room, rather than for a practitioner reading a journal.
What is positive behaviour support?
Positive behaviour support (PBS) is an evidence-based approach that works out why a behaviour happens, then changes the person’s surroundings and teaches new skills so they can meet their needs in safer ways. Its main aim is a better quality of life for the person. Fewer behaviours of concern are expected to follow from that.
Behaviour is a form of communication. When a person cannot easily say what they need, behaviour often speaks for them. Positive behaviour support starts from this idea. It asks what a behaviour is telling us, then works towards meeting that need in a safer, kinder way.
This approach is person-centred. The person comes first, and their family and support network are part of every step. It is also proactive. Rather than reacting after a hard moment, positive behaviour support changes the situation so hard moments are less likely to begin with.
What are the core principles of positive behaviour support?
The core principles of positive behaviour support are: put the person at the centre, use evidence, put quality of life first, prevent rather than punish, and protect the person’s rights and dignity. These principles guide every plan we write and every conversation we have.
- Person-centred. The person and their goals sit at the centre. We build support around their strengths, preferences and daily life, rather than around a diagnosis.
- Evidence-based. Strategies come from research and careful assessment. We gather information before we suggest anything.
- Quality of life first. Success means more choice, more connection and more good days. A better life is the aim, and fewer behaviours of concern can follow from it.
- Proactive, never punitive. We change environments and teach skills so needs are met early. We do not use punishment, blame or shame.
- Respect and dignity. Every strategy protects the person’s rights and treats them as a whole human being.
How is positive behaviour support different from older methods?
Older behaviour methods asked how to stop a behaviour. Positive behaviour support asks why the behaviour is happening and what the person needs. The focus moves from control to teaching, understanding and changing the environment. The person is treated as a partner, rather than a problem to be managed.
Some older approaches relied on consequences or control in the moment. Positive behaviour support looks for the reason behind the behaviour, then works to build a life where that behaviour is less needed. Because the plan aims to meet the underlying need, the person also gains skills they can keep using.
That change in respect matters as much as any single strategy. It also protects the person’s rights at every step.
What is the function of behaviour?
The function of behaviour is the purpose a behaviour serves for the person, such as getting something, avoiding something, meeting a sensory need or showing pain. When we understand the function, we can respond to the need instead of only the surface action. This is the heart of positive behaviour support.
A behaviour might help a person get something they want, such as attention or a favourite item. It might help them avoid something hard, such as a loud room or a confusing task. It might meet a sensory need, or it might be the only way they can say they are in pain.
We learn the function through a Functional Behaviour Assessment. This is a structured process of observing, talking with the people who know the person well, and looking at what happens just before a behaviour and straight after it. Our guide on how a functional behaviour assessment works covers each step. Positive behaviour support then teaches a safer way to meet that same need.
What are the steps in positive behaviour support?
Positive behaviour support usually follows 5 steps: referral, assessment, a Behaviour Support Plan, implementation and training, then review. Each step builds on what the last one taught us. Here is how the process usually runs.
- Referral and getting to know you. We meet the person and their family, learn the story so far, and agree on goals. You can make an NDIS behaviour support referral to begin.
- Assessment. We complete a Functional Behaviour Assessment and other checks, such as the QABF or a Quality of Life assessment, to understand needs and strengths.
- Behaviour Support Plan. We write a clear Behaviour Support Plan built on what we learned. See what a behaviour support plan is and what it includes for a full breakdown.
- Implementation and training. We support families, carers and staff to use the plan with confidence. Everyone gets a copy they can understand.
- Review and monitoring. We check what is working, adjust the plan, and keep it fitting the person’s daily life over time.
Where a plan needs to reduce risk quickly, we may write an interim plan first, then a fuller one once the assessment is complete. The plan is a living document. It grows and changes as the person does, so it never becomes a one-off report that sits in a drawer.
What is the Capable Environment Framework?
The Capable Environment Framework describes the everyday conditions that help a person do well, such as warm relationships, meaningful activity, clear communication and support at the right time. It sits alongside positive behaviour support and shapes the practical side of a plan. Our guide to the Capable Environment Framework explains it in full.
When these conditions are in place, needs can be met early. Behaviours of concern can ease when the pressure that fed them comes down.
This is why so much of our work happens where the person lives their life. We support people at home, at school, at work and in the community, because that is where a capable environment is built. A plan on paper only helps once it is part of the person’s daily world.
Is positive behaviour support for children and adults?
Yes. Positive behaviour support is for people of any age, from young children to older adults. The approach stays the same at every stage: start with the person, their goals and a better daily life. The strategies change to fit their age, setting and needs.
- Children can build early communication and emotional skills, with families supported at home and school.
- Teenagers can work on independence, friendships and managing big feelings during a time of change.
- Adults can focus on daily living, work, relationships and having more say over their own lives.
- Older adults can receive support that respects their history and helps them stay safe and connected.
We support people with a wide range of needs, including autism, ADHD, intellectual disability and other forms of neurodivergence. Whatever the age or the label, the starting point is the same.
When might positive behaviour support help?
Positive behaviour support may help when behaviour puts the person or others at risk, or makes daily life at home, school or work hard to manage. Many families wait, hoping things will settle on their own. These signs suggest it could be worth a conversation:
- Behaviour is putting the person or others at risk of harm.
- Daily life at home, school or work is becoming harder to manage.
- The same difficult moments keep repeating, despite your efforts.
- A restrictive practice is being used, and you want a plan to reduce it.
- You feel worn out and would value a calm, practical plan to follow.
You do not need every sign on this list. If even one feels familiar, a short chat can help you work out the next step.
How are families involved in positive behaviour support?
Families are part of the team at every step of positive behaviour support, from assessment to planning and review. You know the person well, so your knowledge shapes the whole plan. We ask what you have seen, what has helped and what your hopes are. Then we train you so the strategies feel doable at home.
When a plan is easy to follow, people are far more likely to use it. Positive behaviour support works well when everyone around the person pulls in the same direction. Our Family & Carer Training is built for exactly this.
Some plans include a restrictive practice, such as limiting access to something for safety. Where this is needed, it is always a last resort, used in the least restrictive way, with a clear goal to reduce it over time. This goal is written into the plan and reviewed regularly.
Getting started is simple. You can read about our NDIS behaviour support service, then reach out when you are ready. Any forms we use ask for your consent, and our privacy policy explains how we handle your information.
Who provides positive behaviour support?
Positive behaviour support under the NDIS is provided by a behaviour support practitioner, working for a registered NDIS provider. The practitioner leads the assessment, writes the plan and supports the people around the person to use it well. The NDIS Commission’s Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework sets capability levels for practitioners, including Proficient and Advanced.
My Behaviour Support is a registered NDIS provider. Our founder and director, Domenic Barca, is a Proficient Behaviour Support Practitioner with a background in psychology and social work. Michelle Boyce and Sofija Kozul are Behaviour Support Practitioners. The wider team brings experience with complex needs, trauma-informed care and behaviour therapy.
Frequently asked questions
Is positive behaviour support the same as psychology?
No. Positive behaviour support is a distinct field with its own training and standards under the NDIS. A behaviour support practitioner leads the process, works where the person lives their life, and focuses on quality of life and skills. Some team members studied social work or psychology, yet the service itself is behaviour support rather than clinical therapy.
How is positive behaviour support funded?
Positive behaviour support is usually funded through a participant’s NDIS plan, when the plan includes behaviour support. Our rate is $252.99 per hour, in line with NDIS pricing arrangements. Travel is charged at a 50% reduced rate, with no kilometres charged. The NDIA reviews rates each year, so we confirm yours at the first consultation and in your service agreement.
What are behaviours of concern?
Behaviours of concern are actions that can harm the person or others, or that limit everyday life. Examples include aggression, self-injury or property damage. In positive behaviour support, we see these as signals of an unmet need. Our guide to behaviours of concern explains common examples and why they happen.
How long does positive behaviour support take?
There is no single timeline, because every person is different. Where a regulated restrictive practice is in use, the NDIS (Restrictive Practices and Behaviour Support) Rules 2018 require an interim plan within 1 month of the provider being engaged, and a comprehensive plan within 6 months. After that, the plan is reviewed regularly as the person’s life and goals change.
Talk it through with our team
If any of this sounds like your family, we are here to help. To talk it through, make a referral and our team will call you to talk through the next steps. Guided by science, driven by care.
