Positive Behaviour Support Plans That Create Real Change

What Is a Positive Behaviour Support Plan?

A positive behaviour support plan (PBS plan) is a structured, evidence-based document developed by a registered behaviour support practitioner. It guides how a person’s support team understands and responds to behaviours of concern. The goal is to reduce those behaviours, build the person’s skills, and improve their overall quality of life.

Under the NDIS, PBS plans follow the framework set by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. They must be rights-based, person-centred, and focused on building capacity rather than simply managing behaviour. A PBS plan is not a control tool. It is a communication strategy — a structured approach to understanding what a behaviour means and ensuring the person’s support environment meets their needs safely and respectfully.

Behaviours of concern are not character flaws. They are communications. People with disability may use behaviours such as self-injury, aggression, or withdrawal when they have no other reliable way to signal distress, pain, or unmet needs. A well-designed positive behaviour support plan starts from that understanding. It identifies the function of each behaviour and builds a support environment where those needs can be met safely and effectively.

Who Needs a Positive Behaviour Support Plan?

A positive behaviour support plan NDIS requirement falls into two categories: situations where a plan is mandatory, and situations where we strongly recommend one.

When a PBS plan is mandatory: If a participant’s support involves any restrictive practice, including physical, mechanical, environmental, chemical restraint, or seclusion, a compliant PBS plan is a legal requirement. A practitioner with specialist NDIS registration must develop it. Without it, registered NDIS providers cannot lawfully use those practices.

When we strongly recommend a PBS plan: Even without restrictive practices, many NDIS participants benefit significantly from a positive behaviour support plan. Common situations include:

• The participant experiences behaviours of concern affecting their safety or the safety of those around them
• Behaviours are limiting access to education, employment, community participation, or relationships
• The support team lacks consistent strategies and responds to behaviours differently across shifts or settings
• The participant has difficulty communicating needs or regulating emotions in daily life
• A new living arrangement, support team, or life change has destabilised existing strategies

Disability types where NDIS behaviour support may help include:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder, particularly where communication difficulties contribute to distress-based behaviours
• Intellectual disability, where behaviours often reflect unmet needs or limited communication options
• Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), where behavioural changes have occurred following injury
• Psychosocial disability, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or complex PTSD
• Multiple or complex disabilities, where interacting factors require a coordinated response

NDIS behaviour support is available to participants of any age. It is not restricted to children or those with severe presentations.

The Functional Behaviour Assessment: Foundation of Every PBS Plan

No positive behaviour support plan can be effective without a thorough functional behaviour assessment (FBA). The FBA underpins every strategy in the plan. At Ararat Wellness, we complete every FBA collaboratively, systematically, and with the participant at the centre.

What the assessment involves: Our practitioners gather information from multiple sources across multiple settings, including:

• Direct observation in natural settings — home, school, day program, or community
• Structured interviews with the participant, family members, carers, and support workers
• Record review, including existing support plans, incident reports, and medical or allied health assessments
• Behaviour tracking data, including frequency, duration, and intensity records gathered over time

The ABC analysis: We use this information to complete an ABC analysis. This examines Antecedents (what happens before the behaviour), Behaviour (what the behaviour looks like in detail), and Consequences (what happens afterward). This identifies patterns, triggers, and outcomes maintaining the behaviour.

Identifying the function: The central question of every FBA is what function the behaviour serves. Common functions include:

• Escape or avoidance — getting away from something overwhelming, painful, or uncomfortable
• Access — gaining attention, preferred items, or activities
• Sensory regulation — managing sensory overwhelm or seeking stimulation
• Communication — signalling pain, illness, discomfort, or an unmet physical need

Once we identify the function, strategies can target the underlying cause. This is what separates genuine positive behaviour support from reactive management.

How long the assessment takes: A standard FBA typically takes two to four weeks. This depends on the participant’s complexity and the availability of the support network. Where there is an urgent safety concern, we can develop an interim behaviour support plan quickly while the full assessment progresses.

What a Complete Positive Behaviour Support Plan Includes

We write every Ararat Wellness positive behaviour support plan in plain language. Each plan is designed for daily use, not to sit in a drawer. Here is what a complete plan includes:

• Participant profile: A description of the person’s strengths, communication style, sensory preferences, important relationships, daily routines, and what a good day looks like for them
• Operational definitions: Clear, objective descriptions of each behaviour of concern so every support team member recognises and records the same events consistently
• Hypothesis statements: Summary statements identifying the likely function of each behaviour, drawn directly from FBA findings
• Proactive strategies: Environmental modifications, routine adjustments, and communication supports that reduce triggers and meet the person’s underlying needs before behaviours escalate. These are the most important element of any positive behaviour support plan.
• Reactive strategies: Step-by-step guidance for responding safely and calmly when behaviours occur, protecting everyone while maintaining the participant’s dignity
• Skills-building goals: NDIS-aligned goals that develop the participant’s capacity to communicate needs, regulate emotions, and engage with their environment more effectively over time
• Restrictive practice components: Where practices are in use, formal authorisation documentation and a clear pathway to reduction and elimination
• Implementation notes: Practical guidance for support workers and family members on applying strategies consistently across different settings and shifts
• Review schedule: A documented plan for when and how the PBS plan will be formally reviewed, including success indicators

Our practitioners walk through every plan with support workers, family members, and other stakeholders. Understanding the reasoning behind each strategy drives consistent, effective implementation across the whole support network.

Restrictive Practices: What the NDIS Requires

A restrictive practice is any intervention that restricts the rights or freedom of movement of a person with disability. The NDIS framework recognises five categories:

• Physical restraint — using bodily force to restrict movement
• Mechanical restraint — using devices such as splints, mittens, or harnesses to restrict movement
• Chemical restraint — using medication to manage behaviour rather than to treat a medical or psychiatric condition
• Environmental restraint — restricting access to areas, objects, or activities
• Seclusion — confining a person to a space from which they cannot freely leave

If any of these practices occur in a participant’s support, the registered NDIS provider must report this to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. A compliant positive behaviour support plan must be in place. The plan must include a reduction and elimination pathway. These obligations are non-negotiable.

At Ararat Wellness, we take a rights-based, reduction-focused approach to every restrictive practice component. Our aim is to build the skills and environments that make restrictions unnecessary over time, supporting the participant to live with greater freedom, safety, and dignity.

Implementation Support: Making Strategies Work in Real Life

A positive behaviour support plan only delivers results through consistent implementation. Strategies work when the support team understands them, trusts them, and applies them reliably across every setting and every shift.

Ararat Wellness provides implementation support as a standard part of our behaviour support service. This includes:

• Walking the full support team through the plan, including the reasoning behind each strategy
• Providing coaching sessions for support workers to build confidence applying proactive and reactive strategies in real situations
• Working with the participant’s support coordinator to ensure consistent application across providers and settings
• Reviewing how strategies perform in practice and adjusting where gaps or new needs emerge

The NDIS funds implementation support through the same Improved Relationships budget as the assessment and plan development. It is a core part of effective NDIS behaviour support, not an optional extra.

PBS Plan Reviews: Keeping Support Current

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission requires a formal review of every positive behaviour support plan at least every 12 months. Reviews should also occur sooner when:

• A behaviour of concern increases in frequency, intensity, or duration
• A new behaviour of concern emerges that the current plan does not address
• The participant’s living situation, support team, or daily routine changes significantly
• Current strategies are not producing the intended outcomes
• As restrictive practices reduce, the plan needs updating to reflect progress toward elimination

Ararat Wellness schedules proactive reviews rather than waiting for problems to emerge. A current, relevant PBS plan protects the participant, supports the team, and ensures you are meeting your obligations to the Commission.

Our Registered Behaviour Support Practitioners

Karen Ceccon (M.Couns, ACA Level 4) leads Ararat Wellness and brings extensive experience delivering NDIS behaviour support to participants and families across regional Victoria. Our team also includes Dr Niva Perera (Clinical Psychologist), Laura Dunning, and Honor Saunders. Each holds dedicated training in positive behaviour support frameworks, trauma-informed practice, and the NDIS regulatory environment.

All Ararat Wellness practitioners hold specialist NDIS registration for behaviour support as required by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Every positive behaviour support plan we develop meets the Commission’s requirements, including plans with restrictive practice components.

We approach every engagement collaboratively. We build genuine working relationships with participants, families, and support teams because good outcomes in NDIS behaviour support depend on trust, consistency, and open communication across the whole support network.

NDIS Funding for Positive Behaviour Support Plans

The NDIS funds PBS plans through the Capacity Building budget, specifically the Improved Relationships support category (also referred to as CB Daily Activities). This covers:

• The functional behaviour assessment
• Positive behaviour support plan development, including restrictive practice components where applicable
• Interim behaviour support plans for urgent situations
• Implementation support, including coaching and team training
• Plan reviews and revisions as circumstances change

If the participant’s plan does not currently include Improved Relationships funding, our team can help. We review the plan and, where appropriate, provide professional documentation to support a funding request at the next NDIS planning meeting. Approaching that meeting without supporting documentation often results in funding gaps that are difficult to address until the next review cycle.

Getting Started with Ararat Wellness

Starting the positive behaviour support plan process at Ararat Wellness begins with a conversation. Contact our team and we will:

• Listen to your situation and answer questions without obligation
• Confirm whether Improved Relationships funding is available in the current NDIS plan
• Explain the assessment process and realistic timeframes
• Arrange an initial consultation at a time and in a format that works for you

We offer in-person appointments across Ballarat, Ararat, Stawell, Horsham, and the broader Grampians and Central Highlands region. Telehealth options via video call or telephone are available for participants where in-person visits are not practical.

Explore our related services: NDIS behaviour support in Ballarat and NDIS counselling in regional Victoria.