Positive Behaviour Support for teenagers in Wollongong.
NDIS behaviour support for young people aged 12 to 20 in Wollongong, from the city centre to North Wollongong, Fairy Meadow, Figtree and beyond. For young people only, trauma-informed and built with the young person.
Same-day acknowledgment on every referral. Free 15-minute chat before anything is signed.
Behaviour support for young people in Wollongong
Wollongong is the heart of the Illawarra, and home to a lot of young people. At the 2021 Census, about 12% of the 214,564 people living in the Wollongong local government area were aged 10 to 19.
For families of young people with disability, finding behaviour support designed for teenagers can be hard. Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is an evidence-based approach for young people whose behaviour is getting in the way of school, family life or friendships. We start by understanding what the behaviour is communicating, then build skills and supports so the young person has better ways to get their needs met.
Behaviour support just for young people in the Illawarra
We only work with young people aged 12 to 20. That focus shapes everything: plans that fit the school day, respect a young person’s growing independence, and prepare them for the move to adult life. Young people help shape their own plan, through conversation, drawing and story, alongside a standard functional behaviour assessment.
Working with Wollongong schools
Young people in and around Wollongong attend a wide range of schools, from Smiths Hill High School, Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts and Keira High School to Figtree High School and Illawarra Sports High School. Some attend a School for Specific Purposes such as Para Meadows School in North Wollongong.
Whatever the setting, a plan that only lives at home rarely holds. With consent, we meet the school team, translate the plan into language teachers can use, and coach staff so the young person gets the same calm, consistent response all day.
Where sessions happen
We come to the young person. In Wollongong, that might be at home, at school, at Wollongong Library on Burelli Street, or near the Wollongong Youth Centre. For some young people, the best conversations happen outdoors, walking through Stuart Park or along North Wollongong Beach.
Local supports alongside behaviour support
Wollongong has free supports for young people, including headspace Wollongong for ages 12 to 25 and Council’s Wollongong Youth Centre. Behaviour support can sit alongside these services. With consent, we coordinate with the people already supporting your young person.
Getting around
Wollongong and North Wollongong stations are on the South Coast Line, and the free Gong Shuttle bus loops between the station, the city centre, the hospital and the University of Wollongong. Because our practitioner travels to you, though, you do not need to get anywhere for sessions.
We also support young people in Shellharbour and Dapto. Behaviour support in Wollongong is led by Yosmerys Aparicio Cuencas, an NDIS behaviour support practitioner with eight-plus years of frontline experience across disability, out-of-home care and community services.
From first call to a plan that holds.
Referral and getting to know the young person
What's being asked, how it's funded, consent, and time to understand the young person: their strengths, what a good day looks like, how they communicate, their health and sensory needs. Rapport comes first.
Functional behaviour assessment
Conversations with the young person, family, school and support team, records, observation and simple data, to understand what the behaviour is doing for them.
Interim plan, if needed
Within one month when there is an immediate need: safety, changes to the environment, and calm ways for adults to respond.
Comprehensive behaviour support plan
Within six months: the full picture, skills to teach with clear steps, proactive and response strategies, and a data plan a real team can keep up with.
Coaching and review
We model and coach the plan with family, carers, school and support workers until it holds, and review it at least every 12 months, or sooner if things change.
Also supporting young people around Wollongong.
We also work in North Wollongong, Gwynneville, Keiraville, Mangerton, Coniston, Fairy Meadow, Figtree, and across the Illawarra. See our Illawarra location page for every service we offer locally.
Related: our Positive Behaviour Support service, NDIS youth mentoring, positive behaviour support explained, and how PBS is delivered and registered.
Common questions about PBS in Wollongong.
Do you provide Positive Behaviour Support in Wollongong?
Yes. Supporting Communities Australia provides NDIS behaviour support for young people aged 12 to 20 across the Wollongong area. We come to you, at home, at school or in the community.
Why choose a provider that only works with young people?
Many behaviour support providers in the region work mostly with adults or young children. We only work with young people aged 12 to 20, so every plan is built around high school, friendships, independence and the move to adult life.
Can you work with my young person's school, including a School for Specific Purposes?
Yes, with consent. We work with mainstream high schools, support classes and Schools for Specific Purposes such as Para Meadows School, so the plan is used consistently at school and at home.
Can behaviour support work alongside headspace Wollongong?
Yes. headspace Wollongong supports young people aged 12 to 25 with mental health. Behaviour support has a different focus, and with consent we can coordinate so the young person gets one consistent approach.
Where would sessions happen?
Wherever the young person will engage. That might be at home, at school, at Wollongong Library, or outdoors at Stuart Park or the beach. We choose a setting that feels comfortable.
How is behaviour support funded by the NDIS?
It is paid from the Behaviour Support budget in the young person's NDIS plan (called Improved Relationships on older plans). If it is not in the plan yet, we can help you ask for it at plan review.
Who delivers behaviour support at SCA?
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.
Refer a young person for PBS in Wollongong.
Free 15-minute chat. Same-day acknowledgment. No commitment.