Positive Behaviour Support
Neuroaffirming positive behaviour support for young people with complex needs.
Positive behaviour support Western Sydney families can actually use starts with a simple idea: behaviour is communication. Before we change anything, we work out what the young person is telling us and why the current strategies are not working.
SCA’s founder Yosmerys Aparicio Cuencas is an NDIS behaviour support practitioner with a Diploma of Counselling and a Bachelor of Criminology. Every plan meets NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission requirements.
Our PBS work is tailored specifically to young people aged 12 to 20, teenagers and adolescents at an age where generic PBS often falls flat. We serve Western and South West Sydney including Campbelltown, Liverpool, Fairfield, Bankstown, Parramatta and Blacktown. See Positive Behaviour Support across Western Sydney for the suburbs we cover and how referrals work.
Who this fits
PBS fits young people whose behaviour is getting in the way of the life they want. That might look like meltdowns, shutdowns, aggression, property damage, self injury, absconding, or refusal. It fits families who have been told their child is difficult, defiant, or manipulative, and who know in their gut that framing is wrong. It fits support teams who have been running the same behaviour management approach for two years and are still logging the same incidents.
How the sessions work
The first phase is assessment. We spend time with the young person, family, carers, school, and support workers. We read the file, we watch the pattern, we ask what has been tried. From there we produce a written behaviour support plan that names the function of the behaviour, the skills we are going to teach, and the environmental changes that need to happen.
Then the real work begins. We coach the people around the young person, because a plan that sits in a drawer changes nothing. That means home visits, school meetings, phone check ins with support workers, and often uncomfortable conversations about strategies that are making things worse. We review the plan every six months at minimum.
What makes our approach different
Our PBS practice sits inside the Elevate Youth Lab model. That means we lead with rapport, we build capacity before we chase compliance, and we practice neuroaffirming care. We do not pathologise autistic ways of being, we do not treat ADHD as bad character, and we do not use behaviour plans as tools of control.
Restrictive practices are a last resort, not a first response. Where they exist, our job is to reduce them. Where a young person has been mislabelled as aggressive when they are actually terrified, our job is to name that and change the environment so the fear stops. This is slower work than shortcut compliance, and it lasts.
Getting started with SCA
If you are considering PBS for a young person, call us on 0480 800 521 or use the referral form on this site. We will book a free intake call with the parent, carer, or support coordinator, look at the current NDIS plan, and let you know what we can offer and how long the waitlist is. Support coordinators and DCJ caseworkers are welcome to refer directly.
Right fit if...
- Young people aged 12 to 20 whose behaviour is affecting home, school, or community life
- Families and carers exhausted by cycles of escalation and blame
- Support teams working with young people subject to restrictive practices
- Young people in out of home care with DCJ involvement
- Schools and day programmes needing a coordinated plan across settings
How the work happens.
Functional behaviour assessment to understand what behaviour is communicating
A written behaviour support plan developed with the young person, not just about them
Skill teaching so the young person has better ways to get their needs met
Coaching for parents, carers, and staff so the plan actually gets used
Reduction and eventual elimination of restrictive practices where they exist
What good looks like.
- Fewer incidents, less escalation, more predictable days
- The young person can name what is hard and ask for what they need
- Families and carers feel confident, not walking on eggshells
- Restrictive practices reduced and reported correctly to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- A plan that travels with the young person across home, school, and community
Common questions about PBS.
What is positive behaviour support?
Positive behaviour support is an evidence based approach that looks at why a behaviour is happening, then teaches new skills and changes the environment so the behaviour is no longer needed. It is not about punishment or compliance, it is about understanding and capacity.
How is positive behaviour support funded on the NDIS?
Positive behaviour support is funded from the Behaviour Support budget (Improved Relationships on older plans) in the plan. If your young person has behaviours of concern in their plan, PBS should already be funded. If it is not, we can help you request it at plan review.
Do you write formal behaviour support plans?
Yes. Our plans are written by an NDIS behaviour support practitioner and meet NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission requirements, including plans that address regulated restrictive practices where relevant.
Will you work with the school?
Yes, and we push hard for it. A behaviour support plan that lives only at home is a plan that will not hold. We attend school meetings, coach teaching staff, and translate the plan into language schools can actually use.
How long does it take to see change?
The assessment phase usually takes six to eight weeks. Real behaviour change takes longer, often three to six months of consistent implementation. Anyone promising faster is either lucky or lying.