A behaviour support plan (BSP) is a written plan that explains why a person’s behaviour happens and sets out what the people around them can do to prevent it, respond to it safely and teach better ways to get the same need met. Under the NDIS, a BSP is written by an NDIS behaviour support practitioner as part of Positive Behaviour Support.
The aim of a BSP isn’t to control someone. It’s to improve their quality of life, keep everyone safe, and give families, carers, teachers and support workers a shared, practical way of supporting the person.
What does a behaviour support plan include?
Every plan is different, but a good BSP usually covers:
- A clear description of the behaviour, including when and where it happens
- What the behaviour is doing for the person, based on an assessment
- Changes to the environment or routine that make the behaviour less likely
- New skills to teach, so the person has a safer way to get their needs met
- What to do if the behaviour still happens, so everyone responds safely and consistently
- How progress will be measured and when the plan will be reviewed
For example, if an assessment shows someone hits to escape a noisy room, the plan might give them a quiet space, prepare them before busy situations, and teach them to ask for a break instead.
Interim and comprehensive plans
There are two types of behaviour support plan under the NDIS behaviour support guideline.
An interim plan is a shorter plan that puts safe, practical strategies in place quickly, while the full assessment is still under way. It focuses on keeping the person and the people around them safe in the meantime.
A comprehensive plan is the full, detailed plan. It’s built on a functional behaviour assessment and includes longer-term strategies for teaching new skills and improving quality of life.
How is a behaviour support plan developed?
It starts with a functional behaviour assessment, which is how a practitioner works out what a behaviour is doing for the person. The NDIS Commission’s guidance on behaviour support assessments says every behaviour support assessment must include one.
The practitioner observes where the behaviour actually happens, such as at home, school, work or in the community. They talk with the person and the people who support them, review existing reports, and record what happens just before and after the behaviour. From that information, they write the plan with the person and their support network, so the strategies fit real life.
How long does it take?
When a plan involves regulated restrictive practices, the NDIS Commission’s rules set clear timeframes. An interim plan must be developed within one month and a comprehensive plan within six months of the behaviour support provider being engaged. The Commission also treats these timeframes as a good guide for behaviour support more generally.
Who uses the plan?
A BSP only works if the people supporting the person use it every day. That usually means parents, carers, teachers, early childhood educators, support workers and other therapists.
Part of the practitioner’s job is training these people in the plan, checking how it’s working, and adjusting it when something isn’t right. A plan written in plain language, with clear steps, is far more likely to be followed than a long clinical report. This focus on consistency and data is a big part of why Positive Behaviour Support is effective.
Behaviour support plans and restrictive practices
Some plans include regulated restrictive practices, which are practices that limit a person’s rights or freedom of movement. The NDIS Commission regulates five types: seclusion, and chemical, mechanical, physical and environmental restraint.
When a plan includes any of these, extra rules apply. The plan must be submitted to the NDIS Commission, the practice must be the least restrictive option, and the provider must work to reduce and eliminate the need for it over time.
How often is a plan reviewed?
A behaviour support plan isn’t a one-off document. Under the NDIS Commission’s position statement on behaviour support plans, a comprehensive plan must be reviewed if circumstances change, or at least every 12 months from the plan’s start date.
A review can also be worth asking for sooner, for example after a move, a change of school, new medication, or when a behaviour starts happening more often.
Who can write a behaviour support plan, and how is it funded?
Only practitioners the NDIS Commission considers suitable can carry out behaviour support assessments and write behaviour support plans. The NDIS can only fund behaviour support from providers registered with the Commission, however an NDIS plan is managed.
Behaviour support plans are usually funded under Capacity Building, Improved Relationships. That funding can cover the assessment, writing the plan, and training the people who use it.
Behaviour support plans are used with children, teens and adults. For young children, a BSP often works alongside early childhood intervention or ABA therapy, so everyone is working towards the same goals.
Getting started with Helping Hands Behaviour Support
Helping Hands Behaviour Support (HHBS) is an NDIS-registered provider specialising in Positive Behaviour Support, ABA Therapy and Early Childhood Intervention. We work with children and adults at home or at school. As a registered provider, we can work with NDIA-managed, plan-managed and self-managed plans.
If you’re a participant, parent or carer, call us on 0452 423 822 or get in touch through our contact page, and we’ll help you get the right support in place. If you’re a support coordinator, you can make a referral online.
Note: This article is general information about behaviour support plans, not an assessment of any person or advice about an individual NDIS plan. If you’re worried about someone’s immediate safety, call 000.
