Supporting individuals with Positive Behaviour Support
At Outcomes Connect, we understand that concerning behaviours — these might be challenging, disruptive, or harmful — can greatly affect your wellbeing and those closest to you. These can often stem from unmet needs, communication difficulties, environmental stressors, or underlying conditions.
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is a caring, evidence-based approach focused on understanding and reducing concerning behaviours.
We support children and adults with tailored PBS strategies to meet a wide range of developmental, behavioural, and support needs, including those with high and complex needs. We have experience supporting people with:
- Neurological, Cognitive and Intellectual Disabilities
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Dual diagnosis
Ready to get started with NDIS positive behaviour support? Submit a referral below or call us on 1300 622 287.
How our Positive Behaviour Support Practitioners can help
At Outcomes Connect, we recognise that all behaviour has meaning. We work alongside participants, families and support teams to develop personalised strategies that build skills, increase independence and improve everyday quality of life.
Our experienced Positive Behaviour Support Practitioners take the time to understand what matters most to each person and create practical, evidence-informed plans that are tailored to individual needs and goals.
Whether support is needed at home, school or in the community, we’re here to provide guidance and consistency — every step of the way.
NDIS Positive Behaviour Support Services
Positive Behaviour Support Practitioners play a vital role in supporting participants with behaviours of concern, helping them stay safe and build skills for everyday life.
Once a participant is referred, we begin by engaging with them, their family and support network to understand their goals, needs, and environment.
Alongside implementing practical strategies, practitioners are also responsible for documenting their work and meeting the reporting requirements set by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
We’ve summarised the key stages of Positive Behaviour Support below:
1. Interim Behaviour Support Plan
Timeframe: Submitted within 1 month of service starting
If restrictive practices are in place, an Interim Behaviour Support Plan is required to ensure there is a short-term, legally compliant plan while the full assessment and planning is completed.
This plan outlines:
- Basic understanding of behaviour
- Immediate risk mitigation strategies
- Steps to begin skill development and build positive routines
2. Functional Behaviour Assessment
Timeframe: Completed within 6 months of service starting
A detailed Functional Behaviour Assessment is conducted to understand the reasons behind the participant’s behaviours of concern. This includes:
- Observations and data collection
- Interviews with the participant and key supports
- Identifying triggers, patterns, and the function of behaviour
The findings form the foundation of the Behaviour Support Plan.
3. Comprehensive Behaviour Support Plan
Timeframe: Finalised within 6 months of service starting
This is a detailed, individualised plan based on the Functional Behaviour Assessment and includes:
- Proactive and reactive strategies
- Skill-building approaches
- Supports required across settings (home, school, community)
- Plans for reducing restrictive practices, if applicable
- Roles and responsibilities of the support network
4. Ongoing Implementation & Support
The Positive Behaviour Support practitioner works with the participant and their support team to put the plan into action. This includes:
- Training carers, educators, and support workers
- Providing visual supports or routines
- Coaching to ensure consistent, confident implementation
- Regular check-ins and monitoring
5. Progress Report
Timeframe: Typically due 6–12 weeks before the participant’s NDIS plan review
This report includes:
- Participant progress against PBS goals
- Outcomes of strategies used
- Recommendations for ongoing support
- Any updates or modifications to the plan
Positive Behaviour Support FAQs
Behaviours of concern are actions that might put a person or those around them at risk. These behaviours often come from unmet needs, like struggles with communication, sensory issues, pain, emotional distress or stress from the environment. They are not just “bad behaviours” — they are signs that something is wrong for the person. These behaviours can disrupt daily life, limit social activities, or affect the quality of life for both the individual and their support network.
Some examples of behaviours of concern include:
- Physical aggression or self-harm
- Verbal outbursts or threats
- Damage to property
- Withdrawal or refusal to engage
- Risky or unsafe actions in public.
PBS seeks to understand why these behaviours happen and offers safe, respectful, and personalised strategies to help the individual feel more supported, empowered, and in control.
PBS is a person-centred approach that looks at why someone may show behaviours of concern — such as aggression, self-harm, withdrawal or difficulty communicating their needs.
Rather than simply trying to reduce these behaviours, PBS focuses on improving the person’s overall quality of life. It does this by identifying the underlying causes of the behaviour and developing strategies that promote positive, meaningful alternatives.
PBS aims to create supportive environments, teach new skills, and tailor strategies to each person’s strengths, preferences and goals. It involves working closely with the individual, their family, and their wider support network to ensure consistency and lasting change.
PBS is designed for anyone experiencing behaviours of concern that impact their quality of life. It’s especially helpful for people with disability, developmental delay, autism or complex support needs.
Families and support teams also benefit from PBS, gaining practical strategies, confidence, and a shared understanding of how to provide consistent, effective support.
Behaviour Support Practitioners play a key role in helping people understand and manage behaviours of concern. Their primary goal is to improve quality of life by identifying the reasons behind these behaviours and supporting the development of positive, practical alternatives.
Key responsibilities include:
- Conducting assessments, such as Functional Behaviour Assessments (FBAs), to understand what’s driving the behaviour.
- Collaborating with the participant, their family and support team to identify strengths, needs and meaningful goals.
- Developing a Behaviour Support Plan (BSP) that outlines proactive strategies, skill-building approaches and consistent ways to respond to behaviours of concern.
- Providing training and guidance to carers, families and support workers to support consistent, confident implementation.
- Monitoring progress and regularly reviewing the plan to ensure it remains relevant and effective.
- Supporting the safe reduction of restrictive practices, in line with NDIS requirements and legislative guidelines.
PBS equips individuals — and their support networks — with practical skills and proactive strategies to improve communication, reduce behaviours of concern and enhance quality of life. Here’s how:
- Functional Communication Skills
PBS helps individuals express their needs, wants and emotions in effective and socially appropriate ways. - Emotional Regulation
By understanding what triggers certain behaviours, PBS supports individuals to manage stress, anxiety, frustration or sensory overwhelm in calmer, more independent ways. - Social and Daily Living Skills
PBS builds everyday skills that promote confidence and independence — like making choices, following routines, problem-solving and interacting with others. - Consistent Support Strategies for Families and Carers
PBS offers training and guidance to carers, families and support networks to support consistent, confident implementation of behaviour support strategies. - Proactive Behaviour Strategies
Rather than reacting to behaviours after they occur, PBS focuses on prevention. This includes adjusting environments, teaching alternative skills and addressing everyday triggers.
In Positive Behaviour Support and allied health services, evidence-based practice means using proven approaches that combine current knowledge, practitioner experience and the individual’s goals and preferences.
Practitioners focus on:
- What’s known to be effective through years of practical use and shared learning
- Professional insight and judgement to apply strategies in safe, meaningful ways
- The person’s own experiences, values, and input from those who know them best
This approach helps ensure that support is not only effective — but also relevant, respectful and tailored to each person’s unique needs.
Our caring team works together to provide holistic care tailored to each individual’s goals. In addition to NDIS Positive Behaviour Support, Outcomes Connect offers:
– Speech Pathology Services
Speech Pathologists help with communication, social skills, and safe swallowing. Our services include assessments, therapy, and mealtime management for both children and adults.
– Occupational Therapy Services
Occupational Therapists support individuals in gaining independence in daily activities, managing sensory input and developing essential skills for everyday life.
These services are available to people over the age of 9 with NDIS funding.
Restrictive practices are actions taken to limit someone’s rights, movement or freedom, usually as a last option to prevent harm to themselves or others. These practices may be used in disability support when certain behaviours pose a serious safety risk.
Examples of restrictive practices may include:
- Physical restraint – holding or blocking someone to stop their movement.
- Mechanical restraint – using a device to limit movement, like straps or belts.
- Chemical restraint – using medication to manage behaviour, not to treat a health issue.
- Seclusion – keeping a person alone in a room or space they can’t leave.
- Environmental restraint – limiting access to parts of an environment, like locked cupboards.
Restrictive practices are strictly regulated under the NDIS and should only be used when absolutely necessary, for the shortest time possible and as part of a documented Behaviour Support Plan. The aim is always to reduce and eventually eliminate these practices by understanding the reasons behind certain behaviours and offering safer alternatives.
To qualify for NDIS funding, you need to meet some specific criteria from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
Here’s a simple guide to NDIS eligibility criteria:
- Age: You must be under 65 years old when applying.
- Residency: You should be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or hold a Protected Special Category Visa.
- Disability or Early Intervention — You need to:
- Have a permanent and significant disability that affects your everyday activities; or
- Require early intervention to lessen the future impact of a disability or developmental delay.
- Impact on Daily Life: Your disability should affect your ability to work, study, socialise, live independently or care for yourself without help.
If you’re uncertain, the best step is to fill out the NDIS Access Request Form or talk to your healthcare provider for assistance. You can also check the NDIS website or call NDIS directly on 1800 800 110.
At Outcomes Connect, Positive Behaviour Support isn’t just something we do — it’s at the heart of who we are.
With years of experience and a community-based approach, we work alongside participants, families and support teams to deliver support that’s practical, personal and focused on long-term outcomes.
If you’re looking for NDIS Positive Behaviour Support that’s grounded in everyday life and built around what matters most to the individual, give us a call on 1300 622 287 or get in touch today.