Positive Behaviour Support Plan: What It Is on the NDIS

Parents hear “we’ll need a behaviour support plan” in a meeting, then nobody explains what it is. I’m Yos, an NDIS behaviour support practitioner, and I work only with young people aged 12 to 20.

Here’s what’s in a positive behaviour support plan, the 2 types, who writes it, and how you’ll use it on a normal Tuesday. It’s the chat I’d have with you over a cup of tea.

What is a positive behaviour support plan?

A positive behaviour support plan (you’ll hear PBS plan or BSP too) is a written plan. It explains why your young person’s behaviour happens and how you and the people around them can meet their needs. The NDIS Commission says these plans include ways to help the person have a good life, meet their needs, keep them and others safe, and make things better over time.

It sits inside positive behaviour support, which I’ve covered in Positive behaviour support explained. The plan is the bit you hold in your hands. You’ll use it.

What’s the difference between an interim and a comprehensive plan?

There are 2 types. You’ll likely see both.

• Interim behaviour support plan. It’s short. It’s about keeping everyone safe for now. It sets out ways to prevent hard moments and how to respond when they happen. If any regulated restrictive practice is involved, it says whether, when and how it can be used. It has to be developed within 1 month of the specialist behaviour support provider being engaged.
• Comprehensive behaviour support plan. This one goes deeper. It must be built on a functional behaviour assessment. That’s the work that figures out what’s happening and why. It’s due within 6 months of the specialist behaviour support provider being engaged.

On its How to develop behaviour support plans page, the NDIS Commission publishes templates and checklists for both. The current templates are version 3.0, described as reflecting evidence-informed practice.

What goes into a comprehensive plan?

Going by Commission guidance, expect it to cover:

• quality of life goals for the young person
• changes to the environment and routines
• skills the young person will build
• what adults do when things start to escalate
• any regulated restrictive practices, described in detail, with a plan to reduce and eliminate them
• how the plan will be monitored and reviewed

I’d add 1 thing from my own practice. I want your young person’s voice in there. Their words. Their interests. What calms them down when the day’s gone sideways and you’re both running on empty, because that’s the stuff that makes a plan feel like it belongs to them. I wrote about how I do that in PBS Practice Notes #03.

Who writes a positive behaviour support plan?

A specialist behaviour support provider writes it. Those providers must be registered with the NDIS Commission and must use NDIS behaviour support practitioners to deliver the work.

In its behaviour support fact sheets, the NDIS Commission says the provider writes it with the person, their family and the other people who support them. So you’re in the room. You get a say. For the practitioner’s side, see What does a PBS practitioner do?.

How is the plan used day to day?

A plan only matters if you use it. The Commission’s fact sheet says the provider teaches everyone how to use the plan and trains the people who support your young person. That includes any restrictive practice in it.

The Commission’s PBS Capability Framework calls these people implementers. That’s you. It’s also support workers and carers. The practitioner backs you up with training, coaching and mentoring. They also check the plan’s being used.

For example, a plan might ask you or a support worker to give a 5-minute warning before a change in activity, and to jot down what happened if a hard moment follows. Small, clear steps. Things you can do tired.

How often is a behaviour support plan reviewed?

Plans are reviewed every 12 months, or earlier if needed. For comprehensive plans that include regulated restrictive practices, the specialist behaviour support provider must review the plan if the person’s situation changes, or at least every 12 months while it’s in force.

If you feel the plan’s stopped fitting your young person’s life, you don’t have to wait. Ask for a review. I’d want you to.

Where do restrictive practices fit in?

The NDIS Commission regulates 5 types of restrictive practice: seclusion, chemical restraint, mechanical restraint, physical restraint and environmental restraint. These are defined in the NDIS (Restrictive Practices and Behaviour Support) Rules 2018.

What that means for your plan:

• A regulated restrictive practice must be included in a behaviour support plan.
• It should be the last option and used for the shortest time possible.
• Plans with one are lodged through the NDIS Commission Portal.
• Implementing providers need informed consent and authorisation under their state or territory’s requirements.
• A practice used outside the plan, or without that authorisation, is unauthorised.

The Commission also notes that some states and territories limit certain practices for children and young people. If you’re in NSW like me, check what applies here.

How is a behaviour support plan funded?

On your NDIS plan, behaviour support sits under capacity building, in the Improved Relationships category. The NDIS says that funding can cover behaviour support assessments, behaviour support plans, interim plans, and training for staff, family and carers. It’s often stated funding, so it can only buy those supports.

Frequently asked questions

What is a positive behaviour support plan on the NDIS? It’s a written plan explaining why a person’s behaviour happens and how the people around them can meet their needs. A specialist behaviour support provider registered with the NDIS Commission writes it.

How long does it take to get a behaviour support plan? An interim plan has to be developed within 1 month of the specialist behaviour support provider being engaged. A comprehensive plan is due within 6 months.

Is a PBS plan the same as a behaviour support plan? Yes. People use PBS plan, BSP and behaviour support plan for the same thing on the NDIS.

Can my family help write the plan? Yes. The Commission’s fact sheets say the provider writes the plan with the person, their family and the people who support them.

Does every behaviour support plan include restrictive practices? No. If a plan does include one, it must set out how it will be reduced and eliminated over time.

General information, checked against NDIS Commission behaviour support guidance, fact sheets and the PBS Capability Framework, and NDIS capacity building guidance, on 3 November 2026. Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the NDIS or the NDIS Commission before making decisions.