Positive Behaviour Support
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What is Positive Behaviour Support
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is used when someone is engaging in behaviours that may cause harm to themselves or others, such as aggression or self-injury.
It aims to understand the causes of those harmful behaviours and how they can be reduced in a safe and dignified way.
Positive behaviour support strategies aim to:
- improve quality of life,
- increase independence, and
- reduce restrictive practices.
Able Australia’s Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) team supports people with complex needs and dual diagnoses, including sensory, psychosocial, intellectual and physical impairments. Our services are compliant with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission requirements.
To chat about whether Positive Behaviour Support might be an option for you or someone you’re supporting, please make an enquiry.
Positive behaviour support examples
Wondering what positive behaviour support looks like? Here are some strategies and practical examples to give you an idea:
- Encouraging a person with autism to request breaks using signs or visual aids, ensuring they can rest when they need to.
- Reducing self-injury by identifying environmental triggers, such as loud noises, crowded spaces or other factors that might overwhelm, cause anxiety, or unsettle the person.
Assisting someone to communicate with flashcards, simple signs, or other tools, so they can communicate what they need before they become frustrated, scared or anxious, which may lead to behaviours such as shouting or lashing out.
Our positive behaviour support training for staff and carers
Able also provides tailored training sessions for support staff and carers who might need to implement positive behaviour support plans.
Training includes…
- Building relationships to understand each person, their personality, likes and dislikes, and baseline behaviour,
- Developing strategies to manage behaviour that may escalate or become harmful,
- Identifying safe practices for diverting or resolving the behaviour,
- Collecting data on environmental factors, timing of behaviours and other context that may support to build understanding, and
- Understanding restrictive practice requirements and when to use those practices to prevent harm and improve safety for the person, staff, and others around them.
Where we offer positive behaviour support services
Positive behaviour support services are available for people living with a disability (and their family and carers) in Victoria and Queensland.
Support can be provided in-home, in community settings, depending on your precise location and individual needs.
If you’re not sure whether you can be supported in your local area, please get in touch and we would love to answer your questions.
send an enquiryContact us for positive behaviour support services
Want to know more about positive behaviour support for yourself or someone in your care? Get in touch today!
Support is available for NDIS participants, families and service providers.
To find out more please call 1300 225 369 or send an enquiry below.
send an enquiryFAQs
The five steps of Positive Behaviour Support are:
- Understanding the behaviour
- Gathering data
- Developing a plan
- Implementing strategies
- Monitoring outcomes
At Able Australia, we follow this structured PBS model to create safe, evidence-based support plans for people with complex needs.
The 4 P’s are: predict, prevent, positively respond, and promote alternative behaviours.
Able Australia’s behaviour support practitioners use these core principles to guide personalised plans that empower individuals and reduce restrictive practices.
Positive Behaviour Support is available to you if you’re living with…
- intellectual disability,
- autism,
- sensory impairments,
- psychosocial conditions or
- dual diagnoses.
Able Australia supports individuals with disabilities and their families, carers, and support workers.
Our Positive Behaviour Support team are highly trained in:
- skills teaching,
- reducing restrictive practices, and
- supporting staff and loved ones.
You can access a number of services through Able, including consultations, behaviour support planning and PBS staff training.
Initial consultation – (10 hours)
You may choose this option if you have between 10-15 behaviour support hours in your NDIS plan, and would like to get a behaviour support plan in the future.
A Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner will meet with you and gather information to understand more about your needs. This includes reviewing documentation and interviewing/observing you and your support team.
We will also provide you with a letter of recommendation. The letter will outline evidence for further behavior support funding and other Allied Health supports you need. This letter can be written at any stage of the process if further funding is needed.
This consultation will not include an interim Behaviour Support Plan (BSP), which requires 20-25 hours of funding, or a Comprehensive BSP, which requires a further 35-40 hours after an Interim plan has been completed.
Interim Behaviour Support Plan including Functional Behaviour Analysis (20-25 hours)
An interim plan must be developed within 1 month of your engagement with Able. After we’ve met with you and monitored and recorded your day-to-day environment and behaviour for a set period of time, our Positive Behaviour Support Practitioners will analyse this data and develop a draft Interim Behaviour Support Plan.
Then you and your support team will have an opportunity to give feedback and fine-tune your plan, before we finalise it and submit it to the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Commission (if it includes restrictive practices).
This plan will form the basis of the Comprehensive BSP which should be completed within 6 months of initial consultation or when further funds are made available.
An interim BSP includes preventative, environmental and response strategies to support staff when managing behaviours of concern. It also includes a restrictive practices schedule as required by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
Comprehensive Behaviour Support Plan (35 – 40 hours)
An interim BSP (above) is needed in order to develop a Comprehensive Behaviour Support Plan. A Comprehensive Behaviour Support Plan expands on the interim Behaviour Support Plan and must be developed within the first 6 months of engagement.
It will include a motivational assessment which helps to inform strategies and aids in the development of skills teaching programs. It also includes replacement behaviors for the behavior of concern and a fade out plan for restrictive practices.
The staff support team will be offered a training session by one of our Positive Behaviour Support Practitioners on how to implement the plan in a safe and effective way to support you to achieve your NDIS goals.
To track, record and analyse the effectiveness of interventions used, further behaviour support hours are recommended. Behaviours change over time, and continuing to review the effectiveness of strategies will ensure the best outcomes. This is integral in ensuring continued success in positive behaviour support.