What is positive behaviour support?

Positive behaviour support is an evidence-based, person-centred approach to understanding and reducing behaviours of concern. It works by improving a person's quality of life, environment and skills, and by meeting the underlying needs behind a behaviour. It is proactive and respectful, and it is never about punishing or controlling the person.

Is behaviour support a form of punishment?

No. Positive behaviour support is the opposite of punishment. It treats behaviours of concern as a form of communication and seeks to understand why they happen. The focus is on prevention, teaching new skills and improving the person's life so their needs are met in better ways, which naturally reduces behaviours of concern.

Who can write a behaviour support plan?

A behaviour support plan is written by a behaviour support practitioner whom the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission considers suitable, based on their skills, experience and qualifications. They come from a range of professional backgrounds. The practitioner assesses the person and the situation, then designs strategies with the person and the people who support them.

What counts as a restrictive practice?

A restrictive practice is any action that restricts a person's rights or freedom of movement. Recognised types include physical restraint, environmental restraint, chemical restraint, mechanical restraint and seclusion. Because they limit basic rights and can cause harm, they are strictly regulated and only ever meant to be used as a last resort.

When can restrictive practices be used?

Only as a genuine last resort, when there is a risk of harm, and in the least restrictive way for the shortest possible time. They must be authorised according to the rules in your state or territory, backed by a behaviour support plan, and reported to the NDIS Commission. The goal is always to reduce and eliminate their use.

Do restrictive practices have to be reported?

Yes. Providers who use regulated restrictive practices must report their use to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Combined with authorisation and a behaviour support plan, this reporting keeps the use of restrictive practices visible and accountable, and helps ensure there is always a clear plan to reduce reliance on them over time.

What is the overall goal of behaviour support?

The overall goal is to improve the person's quality of life and reduce behaviours of concern in a respectful, evidence-based way. Where restrictive practices exist, the aim is always to reduce and ultimately eliminate them. You can read more on ndis.gov.au and through the NDIS Commission about how this framework protects people's rights.

Behaviour support and restrictive practices explained

What positive behaviour support is, who delivers it, and how restrictive practices are regulated.

Behaviour support is one of the most sensitive and carefully regulated areas of the NDIS. It exists to help people who sometimes show behaviours that put themselves or others at risk, and it is built around improving a person's quality of life rather than simply managing or controlling them.

This guide explains what positive behaviour support is, who provides it, and how the NDIS regulates restrictive practices. The key idea to hold onto is that good behaviour support is person-centred and evidence-based, and that restrictive practices are treated as a serious last resort that everyone is working to reduce and ultimately eliminate.

In this guide

Positive behaviour support (PBS) is an evidence-based, person-centred approach that reduces behaviours of concern by improving quality of life, environment and skills.
PBS is about understanding why a behaviour happens and meeting the underlying need, not about punishment.
A suitable behaviour support practitioner assesses the person and writes a behaviour support plan.
Restrictive practices restrict a person's rights or freedom of movement and are strictly regulated as a last resort.
Restrictive practices must be authorised, backed by a behaviour support plan, reported to the NDIS Commission, and reduced over time.

What positive behaviour support is

Positive behaviour support, often shortened to PBS, is an evidence-based and person-centred way of understanding and responding to behaviours of concern. Behaviours of concern are actions that may cause harm or distress to the person or to others, and they usually happen for a reason, even if that reason is not obvious. PBS starts from the belief that these behaviours are a form of communication, and that the most effective response is to understand what the person is trying to express or achieve.

Rather than focusing on stopping a behaviour through punishment, PBS looks at improving the person's overall quality of life. That means examining their environment, their daily routine, their relationships, their communication and the skills they have to get their needs met. When a person's life improves and their needs are met in better ways, behaviours of concern often reduce naturally. PBS is proactive and respectful; it treats the person as someone whose life can be made better, not as a problem to be corrected.

Who delivers it

Behaviour support is provided by a behaviour support practitioner. Under the NDIS, this is someone the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission considers suitable to do the work, based on their skills, experience and qualifications. These practitioners come from a range of professional backgrounds, and what matters is that they are competent to assess behaviour, understand its causes and design effective, respectful strategies.

The practitioner works closely with the person, their family, their support workers and others who know them well. Good behaviour support is never done to a person in isolation; it depends on the people around them understanding the plan and putting it into practice consistently. The practitioner gathers information, observes, and listens, then uses that understanding to develop strategies that fit the individual. Because the work is specialised and sensitive, the requirement that practitioners be considered suitable is an important safeguard for the people receiving support.

The behaviour support plan

The central document in this area is the behaviour support plan. After assessing the person and the situations in which behaviours of concern occur, the practitioner writes a plan setting out what is happening, why it might be happening, and what strategies will help. The plan focuses on prevention and on teaching new skills, so that the person has better ways to communicate and to have their needs met.

A well-written plan is practical and specific. It describes the person's strengths and preferences, the triggers for behaviours of concern, and the proactive strategies that reduce the chance of those behaviours happening in the first place. It also guides the people supporting the person on how to respond safely and respectfully if a behaviour does occur.

If any restrictive practices are being used, the plan must address them directly. It records what is being used, why, and the steps that will be taken to reduce reliance on them over time. In this way the plan is not a static document; it is meant to be reviewed and updated as the person's situation changes and as strategies take effect.

What restrictive practices are

A restrictive practice is any action that restricts a person's rights or freedom of movement. There are several recognised types. Physical restraint involves using physical force to limit a person's movement. Environmental restraint limits a person's access to their surroundings, such as their own belongings or parts of their home. Chemical restraint is the use of medication to influence behaviour rather than to treat a diagnosed health condition. Mechanical restraint uses a device to restrict movement. Seclusion is confining a person alone in a room or space they cannot freely leave.

These practices are taken very seriously because they limit a person's basic rights and can cause harm or distress. The NDIS position is clear: restrictive practices should only ever be used as a last resort, only when there is a risk of harm, and only in the least restrictive way for the shortest time possible. They are never intended as a routine way to manage behaviour, and the overall goal is always to reduce and ultimately eliminate their use.

How restrictive practices are regulated

Restrictive practices are strictly regulated by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. When a regulated restrictive practice is used, it must be authorised in line with the requirements that apply in the relevant state or territory, and it must be backed by a behaviour support plan that sets out why it is needed and how its use will be reduced over time. Providers who use these practices must also report their use to the NDIS Commission.

This framework of authorisation, planning and reporting exists to protect people's rights and to keep the use of restrictive practices visible and accountable. It ensures that these practices are not used quietly or casually, and that there is always a plan pointing towards less restrictive alternatives. You can read more about the rules and definitions on ndis.gov.au and through the NDIS Commission. The consistent message across all of it is that restrictive practices are a serious last resort, and that the aim is always to reduce and eliminate them while improving the person's quality of life.

Frequently asked questions

What is positive behaviour support?: Positive behaviour support is an evidence-based, person-centred approach to understanding and reducing behaviours of concern. It works by improving a person's quality of life, environment and skills, and by meeting the underlying needs behind a behaviour. It is proactive and respectful, and it is never about punishing or controlling the person.
Is behaviour support a form of punishment?: No. Positive behaviour support is the opposite of punishment. It treats behaviours of concern as a form of communication and seeks to understand why they happen. The focus is on prevention, teaching new skills and improving the person's life so their needs are met in better ways, which naturally reduces behaviours of concern.
Who can write a behaviour support plan?: A behaviour support plan is written by a behaviour support practitioner whom the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission considers suitable, based on their skills, experience and qualifications. They come from a range of professional backgrounds. The practitioner assesses the person and the situation, then designs strategies with the person and the people who support them.
What counts as a restrictive practice?: A restrictive practice is any action that restricts a person's rights or freedom of movement. Recognised types include physical restraint, environmental restraint, chemical restraint, mechanical restraint and seclusion. Because they limit basic rights and can cause harm, they are strictly regulated and only ever meant to be used as a last resort.
When can restrictive practices be used?: Only as a genuine last resort, when there is a risk of harm, and in the least restrictive way for the shortest possible time. They must be authorised according to the rules in your state or territory, backed by a behaviour support plan, and reported to the NDIS Commission. The goal is always to reduce and eliminate their use.
Do restrictive practices have to be reported?: Yes. Providers who use regulated restrictive practices must report their use to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Combined with authorisation and a behaviour support plan, this reporting keeps the use of restrictive practices visible and accountable, and helps ensure there is always a clear plan to reduce reliance on them over time.
What is the overall goal of behaviour support?: The overall goal is to improve the person's quality of life and reduce behaviours of concern in a respectful, evidence-based way. Where restrictive practices exist, the aim is always to reduce and ultimately eliminate them. You can read more on ndis.gov.au and through the NDIS Commission about how this framework protects people's rights.

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