NDIS Commission priorities include:
- protecting the rights of people with disability
- improving and regulating the quality and safety of positive behaviour support
- reducing and eliminating restrictive practices.
Learn more: The Behaviour Support and Restrictive Practice Policy
The Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework describes the required capabilities of those providing behaviour support under the NDIS.
See our collection of published behaviour support and restrictive practices resources.
Positive behaviour support
Positive behaviour support is an evidence, value and rights based approach. It focuses on improving a person’s quality of life and understanding the reasons behind behaviour and ways to meet a person’s needs. This includes strategies such as teaching a person new skills, making changes to their environment and providing guidance to their support team.
A behaviour support plan provides strategies to address behaviours. It meets the individual’s needs, while respecting their dignity and working to improve their quality of life.
Learn more: What is positive behaviour support?
Developing behaviour support plans
Specialist behaviour support providers work closely with NDIS participants and others to:
- develop a behaviour support plan
- put the behaviour support plan into action
- check to make sure things are getting better over time.
See our behaviour support plan templates to help you develop a plan.
There are rules that specialist behaviour support providers need to follow. These are in place to protect the rights of people with disability and reduce and eliminate restrictive practices over time.
Behaviour support practitioners are employed by registered specialist behaviour support providers to develop behaviour support plans.
Only behaviour support practitioners who are considered suitable by the NDIS Commission can develop a behaviour support plan.
Learn more about suitability and how to apply to become a behaviour support practitioner.
See our policy guidance on developing behaviour support plans.
Restrictive practices
A restrictive practice is any practice or intervention that limits a person’s human rights or freedom of movement.
This is sometimes used to keep a person with disability or others safe.
However, restrictive practices do not:
- result in lasting positive change
- meet the person’s needs or improve their quality of life
- address the reasons for the behaviour and can sometimes make the behaviour worse.
Types of restrictive practices
The NDIS Commission regulates five types of restrictive practices.
- Seclusion: When the person is in a room or a space alone and is not allowed to leave. Or when the person is in a room or a space alone and thinks they cannot leave.
- Chemical restraint: When the person is given medicine to stop or reduce their behaviour. Our medication purpose form can help clarify the purpose of the medication.
- Mechanical restraint: When a device or equipment is used to stop or reduce a person’s behaviour. It can make it hard for them to move or access a certain part of their body.
- Physical restraint: When someone holds the person or a part of their body so they cannot move freely. They hold the person to stop or reduce their behaviour.
- Environmental restraint: When the person is stopped from having or doing certain things. Or when the person is stopped from accessing certain places in their home or community.
Using restrictive practices
Implementing providers use (or are likely to use) a regulated restrictive practice when providing supports to a NDIS participant.
An example of when an implementing provider might use a regulated restrictive practice is: ‘Mark runs out of the house and onto the road. The NDIS provider locks the front and back door to keep him away from traffic and harm’.
There are rules for using a regulated restrictive practice. These are in place to protect the rights of people with disability and reduce and eliminate restrictive practices over time.
Learn more about rules for implementing providers.
See our policy guidance on the reduction and elimination of regulated restrictive practices.
High risk practices
Some practices put a person with disability at a high risk of being harmed. This can include serious long-term physical or mental injury and even death.
For example, certain types of physical restraint and harsh punishments can be considered abuse or neglect.
These practices should never be used or included in a behaviour support plan. In some states and territories these practices are against the law.
The NDIS Commission has a clear position about practices that present a high risk of harm to NDIS participants: Position Statement – Practices that present high risk of harm to NDIS participants
Participant resources
Learn more about positive behaviour support, your rights and what providers are supposed to do.
Watch the video below on how to use our fact sheets.
See a full list of participant resources, including fact sheets.
Video: Participant fact sheets on behaviour support
Presenter: Shailaja Menon - Practice Advisor for the National Behaviour Support team
Hello, my name is Shailaja Menon. I'm the Practice Advisor for the National Behaviour Support team at the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
I'm also a participant of the NDIS and have lived experience of disability.
I'm here to talk about some new resources.
The NDIS Commission has developed a series of five participant fact sheets about behaviour support.
They are available on our website now.
What do the fact sheets cover?
The five fact sheets include :
1. What is positive behaviour support?
2. Understanding your rights as an NDIS participant.
3. How to find and choose a specialist behaviour support provider who best meets your needs?
4. What you can expect from your specialist behaviour, support provider and information about what good quality behaviour support looks like.
5. What to do if the provider doesn't meet your needs or expectations?
Each fact sheet builds on the information provided in the one before.
They can be read together in order, or you can choose to go directly to a topic that interests you most.
The fact sheets also include links to other helpful information.
Why did we create the fact sheets?
We created the fact sheets because we wanted to make sure, that participants and their families had accessible information to behaviour support.
We wanted to empower and educate.
And we wanted to promote self-advocacy, choice and control.
How did we create the fact sheets?
We created the fact sheets with and for NDIS participants.
We used a broad but targeted consultation process that included participants and peak bodies representing them. For example, People with Disabilities Australia and Inclusion Australia.
We got input from NDIS Providers by the Alliance 20 and NDS.
We consulted with the senior practitioners Practice leadership group, including representatives of each state and territories, restrictive practice authorization body.
We got in touch with the NDIA and the Department of Social Services policy branch.
And finally, we worked with the Information Access Group to develop the Easy Read versions.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved.
Where can you find the fact sheets?
The fact sheets are available on our website now. To help you find them, please scan the QR code or follow the link provided.
The participant fact sheets are available in Plain English and Easy Read formats.
Plain English means they have been written in simple words.
Easy Read means they have been written in simple words with supporting images to explain meaning.
The fact sheets can be viewed and downloaded in either PDF or word format.
You can also use the read aloud feature on our website if you choose.
We hope these resources are helpful for you, and we invite you to use and share them. If you have any questions or would like further information, please get in touch with us by email or phone. Thank you very much.
[February 2023]
Contacts
Enquiries about behaviour support practices: behavioursupport@ndiscommission.gov.au
Enquiries about the suitability of NDIS practitioners: ndispractitioners@ndiscommission.gov.au