Behaviour support plans: a plain-English guide
A behaviour support plan is a written plan, made with the person and the people around them, that sets out how to support them to have a good life and how to respond safely when behaviours of concern happen. Under the NDIS it's written by a behaviour support practitioner, starting with an interim plan within one month and a comprehensive plan within six months, and CHSA's PBS team writes them across Adelaide.
The first call with our team is free. We usually reply within 1–2 business days.
Behaviour support plans at a glance
- What it is
- A plan for quality of life and safety
- Two types
- Interim (within 1 month) and comprehensive (within 6 months)
- Written by
- An NDIS behaviour support practitioner
- Reviewed
- At least every 12 months, or sooner if things change
- Lodged with
- The NDIS Commission, when it includes regulated restrictive practices
- Paid from
- NDIS Capacity Building – Improved Relationships
- At CHSA
- NDIA-, plan- and self-managed plans accepted; first call free
What is a behaviour support plan?
A behaviour support plan is about the person's life first, and behaviour second. It starts from what matters to them. Behaviour is communication, so the plan looks at why behaviours of concern happen, then sets out changes that make them less likely and responses that keep everyone safe.
A goal of a plan is to reduce and, where possible, remove the use of restrictive practices. Plans are one part of positive behaviour support, a rights-based approach built on choice and control, not on making someone fit in.
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission sets the rules for plans and publishes guidance on how to develop them.1 This page explains them in plain words for people in South Australia.
Interim or comprehensive: what's the difference?
There are two kinds of NDIS behaviour support plan. The clock starts when the behaviour support provider is engaged: the date of the service agreement, or a later start date written into it.2
- Interim plan
- Due within 1 month of engagement. A short, early plan focused on safety while the full assessment happens.2
- Comprehensive plan
- Due within 6 months of engagement. Based on a functional behaviour assessment, which looks at when, where and why behaviours happen.2 It covers skills, environment, communication and the person's longer-term goals.
- Review
- At least every 12 months while the plan is in force, or sooner if the person's situation changes.2
These timeframes are legally required for plans that include regulated restrictive practices, under the NDIS (Restrictive Practices and Behaviour Support) Rules 2018.2 The Commission expects them to be used as a guide for all plans.3
What should be included in a behaviour support plan? The six main elements
A good plan is practical enough for anyone supporting the person to use. It starts from understanding behaviours of concern and what's behind them, and it usually has six parts:
- Understanding the person their strengths, goals, communication and what's behind behaviours of concern
- Changes to the environment routines, spaces, sensory needs and how people around them respond
- New skills and ways of coping communication, choice-making and ways to manage hard moments, chosen with the person
- What to do when behaviour happens calm, consistent responses that keep everyone safe
- Any restrictive practices and a clear plan to reduce and, where possible, remove them
- Who does what who puts each part into practice, and how progress is checked
The NDIS Commission publishes checklists of what each kind of plan must contain.1
Who puts the plan into practice?
A plan only works if the people around the person use it every day. That usually means:
- The person who has a say in their own plan, in the way that suits them
- Family and carers from 12 October 2026, plans put into practice by family alone can also be lodged with the NDIS Commission1
- Support workers and implementing providers such as supported independent living or community access providers
- School, day program or workplace where the person spends time
Your practitioner trains and coaches these people to use the plan, then checks how things are going. The NDIS has a separate line item for this, Behaviour Management Plan Implementation (11_023_0110_7_3). [Confirm: whether CHSA claims 11_023_0110_7_3 for training and coaching, or bills it under the hourly behaviour support item]
How are restrictive practices handled in a behaviour support plan?
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.
Under NDIS rules, a regulated restrictive practice must be clearly written into the plan, used only as a last resort, in proportion to the risk, for the shortest time and in the least restrictive way, and the plan is lodged with the Commission.2 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),5 and the provider reports its ongoing use to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.4 Nobody at CHSA is an Authorised Program Officer, so we never authorise a practice ourselves.
Restrictive practices in South Australia explains the types of restrictive practice, how authorisation works in SA and the person's right to a review.
When is a behaviour support plan reviewed?
- Every 12 months
- At the latest, while the plan is in force.2
- When things change
- A move, a new support team or new risks call for an earlier review.6
- Monthly reports
- Providers using a regulated restrictive practice report its use to the NDIS Commission.4
- At CHSA
- Your practitioner checks how the plan is working with the person and their supporters, and adjusts it as needed. [Confirm: how CHSA reviews plans in practice, how often and who is involved]
The Commission's guidance on monitoring and reviewing plans sets out what a review should look at.6
How do you write a behaviour support plan at CHSA?
Only a practitioner the NDIS Commission considers suitable can write an NDIS behaviour support plan.2 At CHSA it works like this:
A free first call
Call 08 8166 4700 or refer online. We usually reply within 1–2 business days, and our team talks through what's happening and what you'd like to change.
Referral and service agreement
We gather the NDIS plan details and goals, agree a service agreement with you, and match you with a behaviour support practitioner. The service agreement sets the engagement date the timeframes run from.
Getting to know the person
An initial consultation (90 minutes), and an interim plan within 1 month if one is needed.
Functional behaviour assessment
Your practitioner observes everyday situations and talks with the person and their supporters to understand why behaviours happen. Every one of our practitioners does this as part of the whole PBS service.
Comprehensive plan
Within 6 months, written with the person and their support team.
Training and coaching
Your practitioner shows the support team how to use the plan.
Review
At least every 12 months, or sooner if things change.
Who writes behaviour support plans at CHSA?
Our eight behaviour support practitioners bring backgrounds in psychology, social work, disability studies and behaviour analysis, and between them support children, teenagers and adults. Rowena Cornish and Jess Valerio are the team's two clinical supervisors, and every plan is guided by supervision and team review. All our behaviour support practitioners are assessed as suitable by the NDIS Commission.
Rowena CornishBehaviour Support Practitioner and Clinical SupervisorView profile 
Jessica ValerioBehaviour Support Practitioner and Clinical SupervisorView profile 
Emily PalmBehaviour Support PractitionerView profile 
Steph CollettBehaviour Support PractitionerView profile 
Xin Yu KohBehaviour Support PractitionerView profile 
Christian DewarBehaviour Support PractitionerView profile 
Pulkit MalaanBehaviour Support PractitionerView profile 
Charlie FraserBehaviour Support PractitionerView profile
How much does a behaviour support plan cost?
- Hourly rate
- $252.99 per hour, the 2026–27 national NDIS price limit for Specialist Behavioural Intervention Support, item 11_022_0110_7_3.7
- Travel
- Charged at 50% of the hourly rate.
- How many hours
- It depends on the person and the plan. We quote the hours in your service agreement before work starts.
- Which budget
- Capacity Building – Improved Relationships, not Improved Daily Living.8 If behaviour support isn't in the plan yet, talk to your support coordinator or LAC about a plan review.
- Plan types
- We accept NDIA-managed, plan-managed and self-managed plans. Our PBS service is NDIS-funded only.
All PBS fees are on the positive behaviour support page. How we deliver services is on our service delivery page.
Is this the same as a school or aged care behaviour support plan?
No. This page covers NDIS plans. Schools have their own plans for students under Department for Education policy, and aged care has its own rules. They're different documents, though an NDIS plan can help a school or care home understand the person too.
Common questions about behaviour support plans
Who can write a behaviour support plan?
Under the NDIS, only a behaviour support practitioner the NDIS Commission considers suitable, working for a registered specialist behaviour support provider.2 Read what a behaviour support practitioner does.
How many hours does a behaviour support plan take?
It depends on the person. The time covers the assessment, observing and talking with the people who support them, writing the plan, and training the support team. We quote the hours in your service agreement before work starts.
Is there a behaviour support plan template or example?
The NDIS Commission publishes the official interim and comprehensive plan templates and checklists on its How to develop behaviour support plans page.1 A plan is only valid when a suitable practitioner writes it from an assessment of the person, so we don't publish a sample plan.
Does every behaviour support plan get lodged with the NDIS Commission?
Plans that include regulated restrictive practices must be lodged in the Commission's portal. New plans go into the new portal from 12 October 2026, which also accepts plans put into practice by family alone.1
Can we change behaviour support provider part-way through?
Yes, it's always the person's choice of provider. The new provider's timeframes start from its own engagement date. It may build on an interim plan that's already been lodged rather than start again, and must review an existing comprehensive plan at least every 12 months.3
Can we get a behaviour support plan without NDIS funding?
Not at CHSA. Our PBS service is funded through the NDIS only. If someone doesn't have behaviour support in their plan, talk to a support coordinator or LAC, or call us and we'll point you in the right direction.
References
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. (n.d.). How to develop behaviour support plans. https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/rules-and-standards/behaviour-support-and-restrictive-practices/how-develop-behaviour-support-plans (accessed 3 November 2026).
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. (n.d.). Rules for behaviour support and restrictive practices [Confirm: exact page title]. https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/rules-and-standards/behaviour-support-and-restrictive-practices/rules-behaviour-support-and (accessed 3 November 2026).
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. (2026). Position statement: Interim and comprehensive behaviour support plan workflow. https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-02/Position%20statement%20-%20Interim%20and%20comprehensive%20behaviour%20support%20plan%20workflow.pdf (accessed 3 November 2026).
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. (n.d.). Behaviour support and restrictive practices. https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/rules-and-standards/behaviour-support-and-restrictive-practices (accessed 3 November 2026).
- Government of South Australia, Department of Human Services. (2022). Authorising and endorsing restrictive practices. https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/care-and-support/disability/restrictive-practices/ndis-service-providers/authorising-and-endorsing (accessed 3 November 2026).
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. (2026). Policy guidance: Monitoring and reviewing behaviour support plans [Confirm: exact page title]. https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-05/Policy%20Guidance%20-%20Monitoring%20and%20Reviewing%20Behaviour%20Support%20Plans%20-%20May%202026.PDF (accessed 3 November 2026).
- National Disability Insurance Agency. (2026). NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2026–27. https://www.ndis.gov.au/media/8703/download (accessed 3 November 2026).
- National Disability Insurance Agency. (n.d.). Our Guideline – Behaviour support [Confirm: exact page title]. https://www.ndis.gov.au/media/8508/download (accessed 3 November 2026).
Talk to our PBS team
Behaviour support plans are one part of our positive behaviour support service. The PBS page covers the rest, including fees and who you might work with.