Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Perth
We’re proud to work with people, families and support networks across Perth and Western Australia, to improve quality of life through positive behaviour support.
Positive Behaviour Support (or PBS) is a service that helps NDIS participants discover what a good quality of life looks like for them. This includes being able to identify what is and isn’t working, not only for them individually, but also their current supports. This process includes assessing whether there are unmet needs and reviewing how participants are communicating their needs with others.
The NDIS usually funds positive behaviour support when things aren’t going well, and if clients are using or displaying behaviours of concern to communicate their needs. From there, our positive behaviour support (PBS) practitioners in Perth develop a behaviour support plan to help participants work through addressing these behaviours, with the goal of an increased quality of life.
At Ark Support Coordination, every member of our positive behaviour support team is an experienced and qualified social worker. Working with clients and all their supports to find solutions, we work to create both proactive and responsive strategies to address the things that aren’t going well. Together, our PBS practitioners, NDIS participants and their support network collaborate to influence and improve the overall quality of life for participants.
What is a positive behaviour support (PBS) practitioner and what do they do?
A positive behaviour support practitioner (or PBS practitioner) is an experienced professional that is assigned to lead the support process through understanding behaviours, including their influences and impacts, before designing effective interventions and solutions. By observing behaviour as a way of communicating, our PBS practitioners in Perth are able to holistically assess and understand a participant’s interactions, environments and surroundings, using this to put together an effective plan.
Once we’ve assigned one of our PBS practitioners to a participant, they will generally provide an ‘interim response’ behaviour support plan in the first 30 days of engagement. This plan will describe who the person is, what their needs are, what challenging behaviours are occurring and strategies to respond to them.
Following the implementation of an interim response plan, PBS practitioners will complete a functional behavioural assessment and deliver a comprehensive behaviour support plan when appropriate within the first six months of engagement.
As part of this process, our PBS practitioners will identify the use of and prescribe ‘restrictive practices’ as they are needed. Restrictive practices are practices used to stop a person from hurting themselves or others. The practices themselves are restrictive in nature by taking away the person’s rights and freedoms, and they are closely monitored by the NDIS.
Throughout this journey, positive behaviour support practitioners are there to support the participant and everyone around them in using the behaviour support plan and monitoring its effectiveness.
What is the positive behaviour support capability framework?
The PBS capability framework is a document that details what providers need to do in order to offer specialist behaviour support through the NDIS.
There are four capability levels that are highlighted in the framework: core (or entry-level), proficient (or more experienced), advanced (or very experienced and highly skilled) and specialist (experienced and skilled in particular areas of interest).
Our local PBS practitioners in Perth possess a strong combination of experience and social work qualifications, allowing us to meet capability framework criteria, showcase effective self-assessment across the team and assist our clients in line with the NDIS.
How NDIS plans can help fund positive behaviour support (PBS) in Perth
NDIS participants who wish to access positive behaviour support (PBS) in Perth and Western Australia need to have ‘improved relationships’ or ‘behaviour support’ listed in their plan.
For participants who don’t have these listed in their NDIS plan, our team can use ‘improved daily living’ funding to complete a brief assessment and provide a report that recommends behaviour support in future plans.
Can NDIS participants be referred to Ark for positive behaviour support (PBS) in Perth?
NDIS participants in Perth and Western Australia may be referred to Ark through our online enquiries form, through our intake@arksc.org email address or by phoning our team on (08) 6373 7500.
The PBS program coordinator will then phone the participant to discuss the referral and allocate a practitioner.
FAQs
Positive behaviour support can be a complex topic, especially when you’re trying to navigate the world of the NDIS and understand what’s relevant to your situation. That’s why we’ve put together answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we hear from locals in Perth and across Western Australia.
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Any individual who is consistently using behaviours of concern in the way that they communicate may need a positive behaviour support plan.
In order to get a positive behaviour support plan, clients will need to be assigned a PBS practitioner to ensure strategies and potential solutions to address the behaviours of concern are being explored.
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While positive behaviour support plans will be different for each individual, it’s important that they are always tailored to the specific needs of the client in order to address their particular behaviours of concern and increase their overall quality of life.
An interim plan will be a shorter and more succinct document that allows PBS practitioners to implement strategies early and establish an approach, whereas a comprehensive plan will be longer and more detailed to ensure the longevity of outcomes. -
No, a PBS practitioner is not the same as a psychologist or social worker. While PBS practitioners may be trained or qualified in psychology and / or social work, their focuses are slightly different and dependent on the individual accessing positive behaviour support.
PBS practitioners are engaged to address behaviours of concern and manage them with a calculated approach and relevant strategies. Psychologists are typically focused solely on mental and emotional wellbeing, while social workers offer guidance, support and help address environmental or social issues that their clients may be facing.
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Positive behaviour support (PBS) plans need to be reviewed every 12 months at a minimum. This is sometimes sooner, especially if the participant’s situation, requirements or behaviours change significantly. Any strategies are also monitored and reviewed regularly to ensure effectiveness.
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Interim behaviour support plans are only ever intended to be short-term; focused on ensuring the immediate lowering of risk and increase of safety. On the other hand, comprehensive behaviour support plans are in-depth, longer term plans that PBS practitioners use to properly address behaviours of concern, improve quality of life and build capacity.
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This can be largely dependent on circumstances and NDIS plans, but more broadly, positive behaviour support is available to people of all ages who are displaying behaviours of concern that are having a negative impact on their quality of life, safety or level of participation in the community.
This includes children, teenagers and adults, who may be living with physical, intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, mental health conditions, autism and acquired brain injuries, among other factors.