NDIS Positive Behaviour Support Plan Documentation: A Practitioner Guide

What a PBS plan must contain

The Commission's PBS plan template includes:

• Participant details, communication style, history.
• Functional behaviour assessment summary — the function(s) of behaviour(s) of concern.
• Behaviours of concern — operational definitions.
• Strategies — proactive, teaching, responsive.
• Restrictive practices used (if any) — explicit listing, type, authorisation status, fading plan.
• Goals — measurable, time-bound.
• Implementation plan — by setting and by support worker.
• Review schedule.

Functional behaviour assessment documentation

A defensible FBA includes:

• Record review.
• Indirect assessment (interviews, questionnaires).
• Direct observation across multiple settings.
• ABC data (antecedent–behaviour–consequence) over a representative period.
• Functional hypothesis stated explicitly (escape, attention, tangible, sensory).

Restrictive practice documentation

If restrictive practices (chemical, mechanical, physical, environmental, seclusion) are part of the plan:

• The practice must be authorised under state law.
• The plan must include a fading strategy.
• Each instance of use must be recorded against the RRP standards.
• The Commission's reporting requirements must be met.

Implementation fidelity

A PBS plan that is not implemented as written produces no behaviour change. Implementation documentation should track:

• Support worker training on the plan.
• Fidelity checks at intervals.
• Adjustments made and rationale.
• Communication with the support coordinator and the participant's circle.

Related reading

• NDIS Functional Capacity Assessment Reports: An OT and Allied Health Guide
• NDIS Support Coordination Documentation for Social Workers