Introduction to Positive Behaviour Support

Positive behaviour support, often shortened to PBS, is an approach that focuses on improving a person's quality of life rather than simply stopping a behaviour. In this lesson you will learn what PBS means in everyday support work, how it differs from older approaches built around punishment or control, and why it is the approach the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission expects providers to use. Key points: PBS looks at the whole person and their environment, it builds skills and changes surroundings, and it treats reducing behaviours of concern as a result of a better life, not the only goal.

Positive behaviour support rests on a set of values that guide every decision. This lesson explains four of them in plain terms. Quality of life means the person's wellbeing, relationships and choices are central. Person centred means supports are shaped around the individual and involve them and the people who know them best. Evidence based means strategies are based on information gathered about the person and on approaches shown to work. Least restrictive means we always choose the option that limits the person's rights and freedom the least, and restrictive practices are a last resort.

Behaviours of concern are behaviours that put the person or others at risk of harm, or that limit the person's access to a good life. This lesson explains why we see these behaviours as a form of communication rather than as the person being difficult. Key points: many people we support have limited ways to express pain, fear, boredom or frustration; behaviour often tells us something the person cannot say in words; and our job is to listen to what the behaviour is telling us, stay calm and respectful, and use the language of the person first, not labels.

Every behaviour serves a purpose for the person, which we call its function. This lesson explains the common functions of behaviour in everyday language: getting something the person wants, such as an item, activity or food; escaping or avoiding something unpleasant, such as a demand, noise or task; meeting a sensory need, such as seeking or blocking out a feeling; and getting social contact or attention from others. Key points: the same behaviour can serve different functions for different people, and strategies only work when they match the function.

Behaviour does not happen in a vacuum. This lesson explains the three parts that shape it. Setting events are background factors that make a behaviour more likely, such as poor sleep, pain, hunger, a change in staff or a missed routine. Triggers are the things that happen just before a behaviour, such as a request, a loud noise or being told no. Consequences are what happens straight after, which can make a behaviour more or less likely next time. Key points: you can often reduce behaviours by noticing setting events early and avoiding or softening triggers.

Good behaviour support depends on good information, and support workers see more of a person's day than anyone else. This lesson explains why observation and data collection matter and how to use an ABC chart, which records the antecedent or trigger, the behaviour and the consequence. Key points: record as soon as you can, describe what you saw and heard rather than your opinion, include time, place and who was present, and complete any other data the plan asks for. Your records help the practitioner understand the function and check whether the plan is working.

A behaviour support plan is developed by an NDIS behaviour support practitioner, a person the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission considers suitable to assess behaviour and write plans. This lesson explains the process in plain terms. The practitioner gathers information from the person, their family and support workers, observes the person, reviews records, and completes a functional behaviour assessment to understand why behaviours happen. They then write strategies with the person and their supporters, train the team and review the plan over time. Key points: support workers contribute valuable information and must never write or change a plan themselves.

A behaviour support plan sets out how everyone will support the person. This lesson explains its three main types of strategy. Proactive strategies change the environment, routines and support so behaviours of concern are less likely to happen. Skill building strategies teach the person new ways to communicate, cope and get their needs met. Reactive strategies explain how to respond safely if a behaviour of concern happens, focusing on keeping everyone safe and helping the person return to calm. Key points: most of a good plan is proactive, and any regulated restrictive practice must be described and authorised within it.

A behaviour support plan only works when everyone follows it the same way, every shift. This lesson explains why consistency matters, what gets in the way, and what to do when you think something in the plan is not working. Key points: read the plan before you support the person and whenever it changes, follow the strategies as written, do not add your own rules or consequences, keep up the proactive strategies even on calm days, and raise any concerns with your team leader so the practitioner can review the plan.

A restrictive practice is any practice or intervention that restricts the rights or freedom of movement of a person with disability. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission regulates five types: seclusion, chemical restraint, mechanical restraint, physical restraint and environmental restraint. This lesson explains each one in plain language. Key points: restrictive practices are a last resort to reduce risk of harm, they must be authorised under the relevant state or territory arrangements and included in the person's behaviour support plan, and you must only ever use them exactly as the plan describes.

Using a restrictive practice without authorisation, or in a way that is not in line with the behaviour support plan, is a reportable incident under the NDIS rules. This lesson explains what counts as unauthorised use, including practices that may not look like restraint at first, and what you must do. Key points: examples include locking a door not covered by the plan, giving as needed medication to calm a person when it is not authorised, or holding someone in a way the plan does not describe. Tell your team leader straight away and complete an incident report, so we can meet our reporting duties to the NDIS Commission.

Positive behaviour support is a team effort involving the person, their family and carers, support workers, team leaders, the behaviour support practitioner and other health professionals. This lesson explains how good communication, handovers and debriefs keep support consistent and safe. It also covers looking after yourself after a difficult incident. Key points: share information at every handover, attend plan training and team meetings, speak up about what is and is not working, ask for a debrief after incidents, and use the support available to you. The lesson ends with a summary of the whole course.