When behaviours of concern start affecting daily life, families and support teams often need clear answers.
Who provides behaviour support?
What funding is needed?
Does the NDIS cover PBS?
How do referrals work in Darwin and across the Northern Territory?
NDIS behaviour support NT services help participants, families, carers, and providers understand behaviour, reduce distress, and build safer support strategies.
Positive Behaviour Support, often called PBS, focuses on improving quality of life. It looks at the person’s needs, goals, communication, environment, routines, and relationships. It does not focus on blame or control.
For participants in Darwin and across the NT, PBS can support better daily routines, safer environments, and stronger participation at home, school, work, and in the community.
What Is NDIS Behaviour Support?
NDIS behaviour support is a specialised support for participants who experience behaviours of concern.
Behaviours of concern may include:
• Aggression
• Self-injury
• Property damage
• Verbal outbursts
• Absconding
• Unsafe repetitive behaviours
• Withdrawal linked to distress
• Behaviours that affect safety or participation
A behaviour support practitioner works with the participant and their support network to understand why behaviours occur.
This may include looking at:
• Communication needs
• Sensory triggers
• Pain or discomfort
• Trauma history
• Emotional regulation
• Daily routines
• Environmental stress
• Support worker responses
• Social and cultural factors
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission explains that Positive Behaviour Support aims to improve a person’s quality of life and reduce and eliminate restrictive practices where possible.
How Behaviour Support Funding Works Under the NDIS
Many participants access PBS through Capacity Building funding.
The NDIS describes Improved Relationships as funding for supports that help participants develop positive behaviours and build skills to interact with others in social situations. It may include behaviour support plans, behaviour supports, or social skills development.
You may see this funding described as:
• Improved Relationships NDIS
• PBS funding NDIS
• Behaviour support funding
• Capacity Building supports
• Specialist behaviour support funding
In some newer plan formats, behaviour support may appear under a more specific behaviour support category. Your support coordinator, plan manager, or provider can help you check the wording in your plan.
What Can Behaviour Support Funding Cover?
Behaviour support funding may help pay for:
• Functional behaviour assessments
• Behaviour support assessments
• Interim behaviour support plans
• Comprehensive behaviour support plans
• Practitioner consultations
• Training for support teams
• Plan reviews
• Strategies to reduce restrictive practices
• Reports for NDIS planning or review meetings
Funding should link to the participant’s disability-related needs and NDIS goals.
For example, a participant who becomes distressed during community access may need assessment, environmental changes, communication strategies, and support worker training.
Another participant who has restrictive practices in place may need a comprehensive behaviour support plan and regular review by a suitable practitioner.
What If Behaviour Support Funding Is Not in the Plan?
Some participants need PBS but do not yet have the right funding in their plan.
In this case, families or support coordinators may need to gather evidence and request a plan review or reassessment.
Helpful evidence may include:
• Incident records
• Behaviour notes
• Reports from support workers
• School or workplace information
• Allied health reports
• GP or paediatrician letters
• Psychology reports
• Occupational therapy reports
• Speech pathology reports
• Details about current risks and support needs
Clear evidence helps show why behaviour support funding is reasonable and necessary.
The request should explain how PBS relates to the participant’s goals, safety, independence, relationships, and community participation.
How Referrals Work for NDIS Behaviour Support in Darwin and the NT
Referral pathways may vary depending on the participant’s situation.
A referral for NDIS behaviour support Darwin services may come from:
• A participant
• A parent or carer
• A nominee or guardian
• A support coordinator
• A plan manager
• A GP
• A school or educator
• Another allied health professional
• A supported independent living provider
The referral should include key information such as:
• Participant details
• NDIS plan dates
• Relevant funding category
• Main concerns
• Current supports
• Risk or safety concerns
• Existing reports
• Whether restrictive practices are involved
• Preferred contact details
The more information provided early, the easier it is for a provider to understand urgency, scope, and next steps.
What Happens After a Referral?
After a referral, a PBS provider usually reviews the information and confirms whether the service is suitable.
The next steps may include:
- Initial intake
The provider collects basic details, confirms funding, and asks about goals and current concerns.
- Consent and service agreement
The participant or authorised decision-maker reviews consent forms, privacy information, and service agreement details.
- Assessment
The practitioner gathers information through conversations, observations, records, and input from the support network.
- Behaviour support planning
The practitioner develops practical strategies based on the assessment findings.
- Training and implementation
Support teams learn how to use the strategies consistently.
- Review
The plan is reviewed as needs change or at required intervals.
For comprehensive behaviour support plans that include regulated restrictive practices, specialist behaviour support providers must review plans when the person’s situation changes or at least every 12 months while the plan is in force.
What Are Restrictive Practices?
Restrictive practices are actions that restrict a person’s rights or freedom of movement.
Examples may include:
• Physical restraint
• Chemical restraint
• Mechanical restraint
• Environmental restraint
• Seclusion
Restrictive practices are regulated because they affect a person’s rights, dignity, and safety.
PBS aims to reduce and eliminate restrictive practices wherever possible through proactive strategies, skill-building, and better environmental support.
If restrictive practices are already being used, families and support teams should seek guidance from a registered specialist behaviour support provider.
What Families and Support Coordinators Should Ask
Before starting behaviour support, ask clear questions.
Useful questions include:
• Does the participant have behaviour support funding in their NDIS plan?
• Which category is the funding under?
• Are there current incident reports or behaviour records?
• Are restrictive practices being used?
• Who needs to be involved in planning?
• Will the practitioner work with schools, support workers, or other therapists?
• Can appointments happen through telehealth if needed?
• How will the plan be explained to support teams?
• How often will the plan be reviewed?
These questions help everyone understand their role from the start.
Myth vs Fact About PBS Funding
Myth: You need a crisis before asking for PBS funding
Fact: Early behaviour support can help identify needs before risks increase.
Myth: PBS is only for children
Fact: PBS supports children, young people, and adults.
Myth: Behaviour support is about stopping behaviour
Fact: PBS focuses on understanding behaviour, improving quality of life, and supporting safer daily routines.
Myth: Families are blamed during PBS
Fact: Ethical PBS works with families and support teams without judgement.
How Arise Allied Health Supports Behaviour Support
Arise Allied Health is a registered NDIS provider offering services including Positive Behaviour Support, psychology, assessments, therapeutic supports, and allied health services. The organisation describes its approach to PBS as holistic, considering the person, their environment, and their support system.
Arise Allied Health also describes its broader care approach as individualised, confidential, holistic, and evidence-based, with support tailored to each person’s needs.
Participants and families may benefit from internal links to:
• Positive Behaviour Support services
• Psychology services
• Assessment services
• NDIS support information
• Telehealth services
• Contact page
These links help readers take the next step without feeling overwhelmed.
Final Thoughts
NDIS behaviour support in the NT can help participants, families, carers, and support teams understand behaviours of concern and respond in safer, more respectful ways.
The key steps are simple:
• Check the NDIS plan for behaviour support funding
• Gather clear evidence if funding is needed
• Make a referral with practical information
• Involve the participant and support network
• Work with a suitable PBS practitioner
• Review strategies as needs change
If you are supporting someone in Darwin or across the Northern Territory, you do not need to navigate the process alone.
Arise Allied Health works with participants, families, and support networks to provide person-centred, evidence-based behaviour support that respects each person’s goals, rights, and daily life.