A behaviour support practitioner works out what a behaviour is doing for a person, then writes a plan that changes what’s around them and teaches them another way to get what they need.
Our practitioners do this at home, at school, at kinder and at our centre in Bundoora, for children, teens and adults with NDIS funding for behaviour support.
NDIS Capacity Building, Improved Relationships
Children, teens and adults aged 0 to 65
Home, school, kinder or our Bundoora centre
Melbourne’s north, west, east and south-east
Behaviour support is for behaviour that puts someone at risk of harm, or that stops them from doing things that matter to them: going to school, staying in their home, keeping a support worker, going out in public.
Every behaviour does a job for the person. A child who bites at drop-off might be escaping a loud room. An adult who bangs their head at dinner might be in pain they can’t describe. A teenager who throws their laptop might be avoiding work they can’t do. Practitioners call this the behaviour’s function.
The practitioner’s job has four parts:
Under NDIS rules, only a registered provider can deliver specialist behaviour support, and every practitioner who writes plans must be assessed as suitable by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission against the Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework.
Behaviour support is for behaviour that puts someone at risk of harm, or that stops them from doing things that matter to them: going to school, staying in their home, keeping a support worker, going out in public.
These roles overlap, and families are often told they need “a behaviour person”. Here’s how they differ.
| Role | Main job | Typical NDIS budget | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behaviour support practitioner | Assesses behaviour, writes the behaviour support plan, trains others, reports on restrictive practices | Capacity Building, Improved Relationships | Behaviour that risks harm, school or housing; any use of restrictive practices |
| Behaviour therapist or ABA therapist | Regular sessions teaching skills and putting a plan into practice | Usually Improved Daily Living, or the Early Childhood approach for under-9s | Communication, daily living and play skills; practising the strategies in a plan |
| Psychologist | Assessment, diagnosis, talking therapies such as CBT | Improved Daily Living, or Medicare with a GP plan | Anxiety, mood, trauma, diagnostic assessment |
| Occupational therapist | Sensory needs, motor skills, daily routines, equipment | Improved Daily Living | Sensory overload, self-care, handwriting, routines |
Your plan decides which budgets you have. More detail: behaviour support practitioner vs behaviour therapist and behaviour therapist or psychologist.
With your consent: school reports, incident reports, previous plans, reports from your paediatrician, OT or speech pathologist, and any medication changes. We also talk to teachers or support workers.
You may be asked to keep a simple record for a week or two. Practitioners use an ABC chart, which captures three things each time the behaviour happens:
Antecedent
What happened just before.
“I asked him to turn off the iPad for dinner.”
Behaviour
Exactly what the person did, described so anyone could picture it.
“He threw the iPad and hit his sister on the arm.”
What happened straight after.
“We left dinner and he went to his room with the iPad.”
Patterns usually show up within a week or two. In this example, the behaviour may be ending dinner and keeping the iPad. That’s the function, and it points straight to what the plan needs to change.
What we also check. Pain, sleep, hunger, sensory overload, changes at home, how the person communicates, and whether they have a reliable way to say “stop”, “help” or “I need a break”. A lot of behaviour settles once one of these is fixed.
A good plan is something a tired parent, a relief teacher or a new support worker can pick up and follow. Ours are written in plain English, and we go through them with you in person.
Any practice that must stay, why, how it’s used safely, and the plan to reduce it. This part has to meet NDIS Commission rules.
A restrictive practice is anything that limits a person’s rights or freedom of movement to reduce the risk of harm. Many families use one without knowing it has a name.
| Type | What it means | Everyday example |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | Restricting free access to parts of the environment, items or activities | Locked pantry or fridge, locked knife drawer |
| Chemical | Medication used mainly to influence behaviour, rather than to treat a diagnosed condition | A sedative given when someone becomes upset |
| Mechanical | A device used to prevent or restrict movement | A harness, or a splint that stops hand-biting |
| Physical | Sustained or prolonged physical force to restrict movement | Holding someone down |
| Seclusion | Keeping a person alone in a room or space they can’t leave | Locking a child in their bedroom |
We check your NDIS funding, your suburb, the times that suit you and whether anything is urgent. Most families start within two weeks of referral.
You see the hourly rate, what's billable, travel and the hours we expect to use, in writing. The NDIS deadlines run from this date.
Two sessions with you to understand the person, their routines and the behaviour. Then an interim plan: the immediate steps that keep everyone safe while the full assessment continues.
Observations at home, school, kinder or during support worker shifts, ABC records, and conversations with the people involved.
We write the full plan, go through it with you line by line, and change anything that won't work in real life. If it includes regulated restrictive practices, it's authorised and lodged with the NDIS Commission.
We practise the strategies with you, then with teachers and support workers, adjust what isn't working, and review the full plan at least every 12 months.
NDIS Commission rules require an interim plan within one month of your service agreement starting and a comprehensive plan within six months. The interim plan covers the immediate steps to keep everyone safe while the full assessment is done.
Be available for the assessment, keep simple records for a week or two, and try the strategies between visits. We’ll keep the recording as light as we can. A plan only works if it fits your real life, so tell us if something isn’t doable.
We’re not a crisis service. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 000. For mental health crisis support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Your behaviour support plan will include what to do in a crisis, so everyone knows the steps ahead of time.
No. We won’t try to stop stimming or ask an autistic person to mask. If a stim is causing injury, we look for a safer way to meet the same need.
We’re currently accepting referrals across Melbourne, and most families start within two weeks of referring.
