FOR FAMILIES & CARERS
Support that starts with the person.
When behaviour is affecting everyday life, relationships, participation or safety, it can be difficult to know what will genuinely help. Positive Behaviour Support starts by understanding the person — their communication, needs, strengths, environment and what may be happening around the behaviour — before deciding what needs to change.
When behaviour is telling us something
Behaviour rarely happens in isolation.
It may be connected to communication, pain or discomfort, sensory needs, anxiety, uncertainty, demands, changes in routine, access to something important, the environment, relationships, or a person simply not having an effective way to communicate what they need.
Our role is not to label someone as “difficult” or simply stop behaviour. We work to understand what is happening, why it may be happening, and what could make life work better for the person.
That understanding becomes the foundation for practical support.
POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT
Understanding first. Practical support next.
Positive Behaviour Support is an evidence-informed and rights-based approach focused on improving quality of life. It looks beyond the behaviour itself to understand the circumstances in which it occurs and what the person may be trying to achieve, communicate, avoid or cope with.
For a family, that might mean making everyday situations easier to understand, adjusting expectations or environments, improving communication, building skills, supporting regulation, creating more predictable routines, or helping the people around the person respond more consistently.
The aim is not perfect behaviour.
The aim is greater safety, participation, choice, connection and quality of life.
FAMILY KNOWLEDGE
Your knowledge matters.
You know the person in ways a report never can.
Families and carers often hold years of knowledge about what the person enjoys, what they avoid, how they communicate, what has been tried before, where things work well and where life becomes difficult.
We want to understand that.
At the same time, Positive Behaviour Support keeps the person receiving support at the centre. Their preferences, communication, relationships, culture, rights and choices should shape the work. With the participant’s permission and involvement, good behaviour support brings together the knowledge of the people who know them well.
For children and young people, we work in a way that recognises the importance of family relationships while supporting the child’s developing autonomy, communication, participation and rights.
UNDERSTANDING THE WHOLE PICTURE
What we may look at together
The person
What matters to them, how they communicate, their strengths, sensory and emotional needs, health and wellbeing, relationships and everyday goals.
The environment
What happens before and after difficult moments, expectations and demands, routines, transitions, places, people and anything that may make participation easier or harder.
The support around them
How family, carers, schools, services and other people currently respond — including what is already working and what could become more consistent.
WORKING TOGETHER
Support designed for real life.
We start by getting to know the person and understanding what is happening from more than one perspective.
That may involve conversations with the participant and family, observations in everyday settings, reviewing existing information, talking with other important people with consent, and looking for patterns around when things are going well as well as when difficulties occur.
From there, we develop practical strategies that people can actually use in daily life. A behaviour support plan may include preventative strategies, environmental changes, communication supports, ways to build new skills, and clear guidance for responding safely when things become difficult.
WHAT GOOD SUPPORT SHOULD FEEL LIKE
Collaborative. Respectful. Clear.
You should understand what is happening and why. You should feel able to ask questions. The person receiving support should have a genuine voice in decisions that affect them.
Strategies should make sense in everyday life rather than exist only in a document. We should be able to explain the reasoning behind our recommendations in plain language.
And if something is not working, the plan should be reviewed rather than expecting the person or family to simply try harder.
RIGHTS & SAFETY
A word about restrictive practices
Sometimes families come to behaviour support when restrictive practices are already being used or being considered.
A restrictive practice is a practice or intervention that has the effect of restricting a person’s rights or freedom of movement. Where regulated restrictive practices are used in NDIS supports, specific safeguards and requirements apply. Positive Behaviour Support should focus on understanding the reasons for the behaviour, reducing risk and working toward reducing and eliminating restrictive practices wherever possible.
If restrictive practices are relevant to your situation, we will talk about them openly and explain what they mean, why they are being considered or used, and what alternatives may help support the person more safely and respectfully.
GETTING STARTED
You don’t need to have everything figured out.
01
Tell us what is happening
Start with a simple conversation about the person, what is going well, what has become difficult and what you are hoping might change.
02
We work out the next step together
We’ll consider whether Positive Behaviour Support is appropriate, what information may be useful and what involvement would make sense.
03
We get to know the person
If we work together, assessment begins with understanding the person and their everyday life — not simply completing paperwork.