Written by: Rona Castañeda
Professionally reviewed and edited by: Dr Julia Tilling
PhD (Ed Psych) MEd (Counselling) BAdVocEd (Psych) M.A.C.A (Level 4)
Clinically reviewed on: 5 June 2026
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PhD in Educational Psychology, The University of Queensland
Master of Education (Counselling and Inclusive Education), Queensland University of Technology
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Julia professionally reviews selected Therapy Near Me content for counselling accuracy, behaviour support relevance, trauma-informed language, consumer readability, practitioner scope-of-practice wording, and suitability for public-facing mental health and behaviour support information.
Behaviour support under the NDIS is a specialised therapeutic service provided by qualified practitioners to understand behaviours of concern and support safer, more meaningful participation in daily life. Behaviours of concern may affect a participant’s safety, independence, communication, daily routines, relationships, learning, or community access.
Behaviour support aims to identify the function of behaviour and implement proactive, skill-building strategies that reduce risk, improve functional capacity, and increase quality of life.
1. Defining Behaviour Support
Behaviour support under the NDIS is delivered by qualified practitioners to understand why behaviours occur, improve quality of life, reduce risk, build capacity, and support the participant’s network to respond consistently and respectfully.
Behaviour support should focus on skill-building, environmental adjustment, communication, emotional regulation, daily living skills, participation, and reduction of restrictive practices.
2. Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA)
The first step in behaviour support is a Functional Behaviour Assessment. Practitioners gather information from participants, families, carers, and professionals to identify:
- Antecedents (what triggers the behaviour)
- Behavioural events (type, frequency, severity)
- Consequences (what reinforces the behaviour)(Insight PBS, 2025; NDIS Commission, 2025)
The outcomes of the Functional Behaviour Assessment should directly inform the Behaviour Support Plan, including proactive strategies, replacement skills, communication supports, environmental changes, risk responses, and restrictive-practice reduction strategies where applicable.
The FBA should also consider how behaviour affects the participant’s quality of life, safety, participation, independence, and reliance on others.
3. Behaviour Support Plans
There are two types of plans:
a) Interim Behaviour Support Plan
An interim behaviour support plan is a short-term plan implemented in response to immediate risk or where regulated restrictive practices are being used, typically within one month where required by the relevant NDIS behaviour support rules. Interim plans should transition into comprehensive behaviour support plans where ongoing behaviour support is required.
b) Comprehensive Behaviour Support Plan
Behaviour Support Plans should aim to improve quality of life, safeguard the participant’s rights, reduce risk, build skills, and reduce and, where possible, eliminate restrictive practices.
Developed within six months of assessment. This plan includes:
- PBS strategies (teaching new skills, modifying environments, support team training)
- Triggers, prevention strategies, and safety responses
- Guidelines on regulated restrictive practices, if absolutely necessary, with a goal to reduce or eliminate them over time (NDIS Commission, 2025; Insight PBS, 2025).
4. Regulated Restrictive Practices
Regulated restrictive practices should only be used as a last resort, where necessary to prevent harm, and only when authorised, reported, monitored, and included in a behaviour support plan with a clear reduction strategy.
- Physical, mechanical, chemical, environmental restraints, and seclusion
- Use is heavily regulated, must be included in plans only after PBS options are exhausted
- Practitioners must monitor, report, and review outcomes to ensure rights are respected (NDIS Commission, 2025; Together Care, 2025)
The 2024 audit found over 80% of behaviour plans lacked consultation; NDIS is using AI-assisted training to address this and improve quality (Guardian, 2024).
5. Who Needs Behaviour Support?
Behaviour support may benefit people whose behaviours of concern affect safety, independence, communication, relationships, learning, social participation, or community access. This may include people with autism, intellectual disability, psychosocial disability, acquired brain injury, or complex support needs, where behaviour support is appropriate and aligned with the person’s goals and funding pathway.
The focus is not simply “behaviour management.” Good behaviour support seeks to understand the function of behaviour, build skills, adjust environments, improve quality of life, and reduce reliance on reactive or restrictive responses.
6. Implementation & Outcomes
Behaviour support should be delivered by practitioners with appropriate qualifications, experience, supervision, and registration or suitability for the level of behaviour support required. Under the NDIS, practitioner capability and registration requirements vary depending on the complexity of the presentation, the level of risk, and whether regulated restrictive practices are involved.
Regular monitoring, review, and adaptation help ensure strategies remain relevant, respectful of the participant’s dignity and rights, and responsive to changes in risk, implementation, environment, communication, and support needs.
7. Mental Health and Wellbeing Benefits
Well-designed behaviour support plans may support wellbeing by reducing distress, improving safety and predictability, increasing communication, supporting engagement in therapy, education or employment, and building skills for independence. For people with psychosocial disability, behaviour support may complement recovery-oriented care where the support is related to functional capacity, participation, and NDIS plan goals.
References
Early Intervention Evidence Report (2016) Effective, evidence‑based psychosocial interventions suitable for early intervention in the NDIS. University of Melbourne.
Guardian (2024) ‘Experts hope AI tool can cut use of restraints and seclusion on NDIS participants’. The Guardian, 4 May.
Insight PBS (2025) ‘Behaviour Support – The Definitive NDIS Guide’, Insight PBS, 9 April. Available at: https…
Keocare (2025) Countdown to Change: Behaviour Support in 2025. Keocare.
Mind Australia (2013) Mental health and the NDIS: A literature review. University of Melbourne.
NDIS (2025a) Our Guideline: Behaviour support. NDIS.
NDIS Commission (2025) Behaviour support and restrictive practices rules. NDIS Quality & Safeguards Commission.
Together Care (2025) ‘What is Behaviour Support under the NDIS?’, Together Care Australia, 30 June.
