Specialist Positive Behaviour Support in the Illawarra.
Positive Behaviour Support for young people aged 12 to 20 across Wollongong, Shellharbour, and Kiama. Delivered personally by Yosmerys Aparicio Cuencas, NDIS behaviour support practitioner. Trauma-informed, neuroaffirming, restrictive-practice-reducing.
Same-day acknowledgment on every referral. Free 15-minute chat before anything is signed.
The Illawarra has an NDIS density and a PBS shortage.
One of the highest NDIS participant densities per capita in NSW, and a persistent shortage of specialist Positive Behaviour Support practitioners, especially for young people aged 12 to 20. Most local providers focus on adults. Sydney providers list Wollongong as a service area without any local practitioner.
Practitioner-led. Every plan.
Yos personally writes and delivers every PBS engagement in the Illawarra. No handoffs to assistant staff, no template plans, no delegation to less-qualified team members. Meet your practitioner.
Trauma-informed formulation.
Most complex behaviour in young people has trauma or unmet sensory needs underneath. We formulate accordingly. Behaviour is communication: we ask what it is trying to tell us before we plan the response.
Real restrictive practice reduction.
Our plans include measurable restrictive practice reduction targets. Not lip service. If your current plan reads "consider reducing" without a target, you need a new plan.
Comprehensive assessment. Practical plan. Ongoing support.
Functional behaviour assessment
A structured, evidence-based FBA. Direct observation across settings, interviews with family and support network, review of existing reports. Typically 4 to 8 weeks depending on complexity.
Interim behaviour support plan
Within two sessions we agree interim strategies with the family: practical, safe, and immediately implementable. You don't wait 8 weeks with nothing.
Comprehensive behaviour support plan
The full plan is written to the NDIS Commission's PBS Capability Framework standards. Restrictive practice reduction targets are measurable and time-bound. Every strategy has a rationale.
Implementation and coaching
We work alongside parents, carers, teachers, and support workers to implement the plan consistently. Weekly or fortnightly sessions depending on plan.
Review and refinement
Plans are living documents. We review at 3-month intervals, or sooner if presentation changes. Every review has outcome data and next-step recommendations.
Across the entire Illawarra region.
Wollongong LGA
Wollongong CBD, Fairy Meadow, Corrimal, Bulli, Woonona, Thirroul, Figtree, Unanderra, Berkeley, Warrawong, Port Kembla, Dapto, Kanahooka, Koonawarra, Primbee
Shellharbour LGA
Shellharbour Village, Warilla, Windang, Oak Flats, Albion Park, Blackbutt, Flinders
Kiama LGA
Kiama, Gerringong (on referral basis)
Young people 12 to 20 with complex behaviour needs.
Autism with behaviours of concern
Neuroaffirming PBS that respects autistic identity. We do not try to make autistic young people behave less autistically. We help them regulate, participate, and thrive with supports that fit their brain.
ADHD with regulation difficulties
Practical, executive-function-aware PBS. Strategies the young person can actually use in the moment, not aspirational checklists that assume neurotypical processing.
Complex trauma with externalising behaviours
Trauma-informed formulation is our default. We look for the function of behaviour in the context of what happened to the young person, and we build safety into every strategy.
OOHC placements (foster, kinship, residential)
Specialist experience with DCJ placements across Wollongong and Shellharbour. We work with foster carers, kinship carers, residential staff, and DCJ caseworkers as one team.
Young people transitioning out of restrictive settings
Coming out of hospital, out of tighter placement, out of a school with intensive support, we help build the community-based scaffolding that keeps the transition stable.
Young people at placement risk
When behaviour escalation threatens placement stability, we prioritise the intervention. Rapid response, safety-first strategy, and reporting cadence that supports the placement.
Common questions about PBS in the Illawarra.
Do you provide Positive Behaviour Support in Wollongong?
Yes. Supporting Communities Australia delivers specialist Positive Behaviour Support across the entire Illawarra region including Wollongong, Shellharbour, and Kiama LGAs. PBS is led by Yosmerys Aparicio Cuencas, an NDIS behaviour support practitioner who works only with young people aged 12 to 20.
Do you write behaviour support plans in Shellharbour and Kiama?
Yes. We write NDIS-compliant behaviour support plans across the entire Illawarra region. Every plan is written by the practitioner who delivers the sessions.
What ages do you work with for PBS?
We work exclusively with young people aged 12 to 20. Our PBS practice is trauma-informed and neuroaffirming by design. Most complex behaviour in young people has trauma or unmet sensory needs underneath.
How is PBS funded through the NDIS?
PBS is paid from the Behaviour Support budget in an NDIS plan (called Improved Relationships on older plans). If your plan has Behaviour Support funding, PBS is fundable. We can also help make the case for adding it at plan review if it is not currently in your plan.
Who delivers behaviour support in the Illawarra?
Yosmerys Aparicio Cuencas, an NDIS behaviour support practitioner who works only with young people aged 12 to 20. She does the functional behaviour assessment, writes the plan and coaches the family, school and support workers who use it.
How long does it take to get a PBS plan written?
A comprehensive functional behaviour assessment typically takes 4 to 8 weeks depending on presentation complexity, family availability, and access to prior reports. Interim strategies are agreed with the family within the first two sessions.
Do you take DCJ referrals in the Illawarra?
Yes. We work with DCJ caseworkers across the Wollongong and Shellharbour districts on both foster and kinship placements. Send us the scope of support and we return a written proposal within two business days.
How quickly can you start working with a new young person?
We typically respond to new referrals within one business day and can begin service planning within one to two weeks depending on the young person's presentation and family availability. Interim strategies are agreed within the first two sessions.
How much does a Positive Behaviour Support plan cost?
PBS is billed at the Specialist Positive Behaviour Support rates published in the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements. Depending on your plan, this typically covers the functional behaviour assessment, plan writing, implementation coaching, and reviews. For families not on the NDIS, we charge the same rates as the NDIS Price Guide (no private-pay premium). See our /pricing/ page for full detail or ask us for a written rate sheet.
What can Positive Behaviour Support help with?
PBS helps with behaviours of concern including aggression, self-harm, property damage, elopement, refusal, extreme withdrawal, and behaviours that put a young person or their placement at risk. We work with autism, ADHD, complex trauma responses, and combinations of the three. PBS also formally addresses restrictive practices with a reduction pathway, and it builds the functional communication and regulation skills that make the underlying behaviour less necessary. It does not replace mental health treatment for conditions like depression or psychosis, but it complements them.
Refer a young person for PBS in the Illawarra.
Free 15-minute chat. Same-day acknowledgment. Zero commitment.