NDIS positive behaviour support practitioners in Adelaide

PBS usually follows five steps: (1) get to know the person and what matters to them; (2) understand why the behaviour happens, through a functional behaviour assessment; (3) write a behaviour support plan; (4) train and support the people who use it; (5) review and adjust. For example, a plan might add a visual routine, make a noisy space calmer, teach a simple way to ask for a break, or show support workers what helps. PBS is rights-based, focused on quality of life and done with the person. It isn’t punishment, and it isn’t about controlling someone or simply stopping a behaviour.

What a behaviour support practitioner does

Hurting themselves or others, breaking things, running off or shutting down are often a person’s way of telling us something isn’t working. Your practitioner looks at what’s behind the behaviour and works with everyone involved on safer ways through, without blame. If someone is in danger right now, call 000.

What behaviours of concern are, and what helps

Under NDIS rules, an interim plan is due within 1 month of a behaviour support provider being engaged, and a comprehensive plan within 6 months. Plans that include regulated restrictive practices are reviewed at least every 12 months, or sooner if things change.² Your practitioner writes the plan with the person and their supporters, and makes sure it’s practical to use every day.

Behaviour support plans explained

A functional behaviour assessment gathers information from the person, their family, school or support team, and from watching everyday situations, to work out what a behaviour does for the person. That understanding is what the comprehensive plan is built on. Every one of our behaviour support practitioners does functional behaviour assessments, as part of the whole PBS service rather than a separate one.

What a functional behaviour assessment involves

A goal of PBS is to reduce and, where possible, remove restrictive practices. We put strategies in place, collect and analyse data, and revise the strategies where needed to reduce risks to the person and the people around them. Where restrictive practices are already in place, we complete updated assessments and use the available data to work out whether each one is still needed, as a last resort. If we’re asked to include one in a behaviour support plan, we follow the same process, so any restrictive practice is evidence-based and used only as a last resort, after preventative and less restrictive strategies have been tried. The implementing provider’s Authorised Program Officer then decides whether to authorise it under South Australia’s Restrictive Practices Authorisation scheme (Level 2 practices go to the Senior Authorising Officer),³ and the provider reports its ongoing use to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.¹

Restrictive practices in South Australia

Send us the person’s NDIS plan dates, plan-management type, the Capacity Building – Improved Relationships budget available, their goals, any current behaviour support plan or restrictive practices in place, and their consent. We usually reply within 1–2 business days, and it’s always the person’s choice of provider.

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