Booking positive behaviour support: what to expect at the first appointment and how to prepare

To book positive behaviour support you need Improved Relationships funding in your NDIS plan, which sits in the Capacity Building budget. The first appointment is not treatment. It is the start of a functional behaviour assessment, where the practitioner works out why a behaviour is happening before anything is written into a plan. Bring your plan, any past reports and any behaviour records you have, and have the people who see the behaviour most often in the room. To start, call 1300 771 465 or use /referrals. For the regulatory detail behind the service, including restrictive practices and the rules on who may write a plan, see positive behaviour support services.

Before you book: the funding you need

Specialist behaviour support is funded under Capacity Building, Improved Relationships. That line has to be in your plan before a behaviour support practitioner can start work. It is a separate budget from Improved Daily Living, which is what pays for occupational therapy, speech pathology and physiotherapy, so having therapy funding does not automatically mean you have behaviour support funding.

If Improved Relationships is not in your plan, you cannot use other budgets to substitute for it. What you can do is raise it at your next plan review or ask for a plan change, and put evidence behind the request. Useful evidence includes reports from clinicians who already work with the person, records of incidents and what has been tried, and a description of the effect on the household, school placement or work. A support coordinator can help you frame the request. Call 1300 771 465 if you want to talk through what a request would need before you lodge it.

If the person is already subject to a restrictive practice, or one has been proposed, that is a strong reason to seek behaviour support funding, because a regulated restrictive practice must sit inside an authorised behaviour support plan written by a suitable practitioner.

What to have ready when you book

The practitioner reviews everything available before the first visit, so the more that arrives up front, the less of the first appointment is spent on paperwork.

• Your NDIS plan, or at least your NDIS number, your plan goals, and whether you are self-managed, plan-managed or NDIA-managed.
• Any previous behaviour support plan, including an old one that has expired. Knowing what has already been tried saves repeating it.
• Incident records: dates, what happened, what was going on before, and what people did afterwards. Rough notes on a phone are fine, and are often more useful than a formal report.
• Reports from other services: psychology, occupational therapy, speech pathology, paediatrician, psychiatrist, school or early learning reports, and any diagnostic assessments.
• Medical information: current diagnoses, medications, pain or health issues, sleep, and anything recent that has changed. Pain and health problems are common drivers of behaviour and are easy to miss.
• Communication information: how the person communicates, what they understand, and any communication aids or devices they use.
• Who else is involved: support coordinator, plan manager, support workers, school contacts, other therapists, and whether you consent to the practitioner speaking with them.
• What you want to change: the two or three situations that are hardest right now, described concretely. "Getting out the door for school" is more workable than "behaviour".

If reading or filling in forms is difficult, say so when you book and ask for easy read versions or help completing the paperwork. Interpreting through TIS National can be arranged at no cost to you, but it must be booked before the appointment.

Who should be at the first appointment

Behaviour support works on the environment around a person, not only on the person, so who attends matters more than it does for most therapy.

• The participant, in whatever way suits them. Their view of what is happening is part of the assessment, and consent and understanding are built with them, not around them.
• The people who see the behaviour most often: parents, carers, a partner, siblings where appropriate, and regular support workers.
• A support coordinator, if you have one, at least for part of the appointment.
• School or day program staff, usually not at the first appointment but soon after, and only with your consent.

Consultation with family and guardians is a requirement for specialist behaviour support providers developing a plan, not an optional courtesy. If a regulated restrictive practice is going to be discussed, the details must be explained in plain English so you can actually weigh it up.

You can bring an advocate or a support person to any appointment, including the first one.

What happens at the first appointment

The first appointment is an information-gathering and relationship-building session. Expect the practitioner to:

• Explain what positive behaviour support is, how it differs from other approaches, and what the process will involve, then take informed consent before starting.
• Ask about daily routines, the environments the person moves through, their history, their strengths, and what a good day looks like.
• Work through the specific situations that are hard, including what tends to happen immediately before, what the behaviour looks like in detail, and what happens afterwards.
• Explore what might be driving the behaviour, including communication difficulties, sensory needs, pain, trauma, anxiety, transitions and environmental factors. Behaviour is treated as communication about an unmet need rather than as the problem itself.
• Agree your priorities and set an initial direction, including any immediate safety strategies.
• Explain what happens next, including the timeline for assessment and plan development, and what other information or observations are needed.

What it will not do is produce a finished plan. A plan built from one conversation would not be evidence-based, and the rules governing behaviour support do not allow it.

Session length depends on the person and the complexity of what is happening, and the practitioner will discuss with you whether extra time or extra observations are needed. Ask at the end of the first appointment how many further sessions the assessment is likely to take, so you can track it against your funding.

Where appointments happen

Bloom delivers behaviour support in the community rather than from a consulting room. Appointments usually happen at home, and observations also take place wherever the behaviour occurs, which may include school, an early learning centre, a day program, a workplace or a public setting. Seeing the person in more than one environment is part of a proper assessment, because a behaviour that appears everywhere and a behaviour that appears only at school lead to very different conclusions.

Telehealth by secure video is used for some parts of the work, particularly interviews, team meetings and coaching sessions. Direct observation generally needs to be in person. Bloom works across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. Check availability in your area at /locations/ or on 1300 771 465.

The sequence after the first appointment

Assessment. The functional behaviour assessment continues over several contacts. It combines indirect assessment, meaning interviews with you, carers, support workers and teachers, and a review of reports, records and past plans, with direct assessment, meaning the practitioner observing in real settings. ABC recording is the common tool: what happened before, what the behaviour was, and what followed. Charts and scatter plots are used to find patterns of time, place and trigger.

Hypothesis. The practitioner forms an evidence-based explanation of what function the behaviour serves, for example escaping something overwhelming, seeking connection, accessing something preferred, or meeting a sensory or emotional need. This is the piece that everything else depends on.

Plan. The behaviour support plan sets out strategies aimed at changing the environment and building skills, so that the person has a better way to get the same need met. It is written with you, not delivered to you.

Deadlines that apply. Where a specialist behaviour support provider is engaged, an interim behaviour support plan must be in place within one month and a comprehensive behaviour support plan within six months. If your situation is urgent, or a restrictive practice is already in use, say so when you book, because the interim plan is the mechanism for getting safe strategies in place quickly.

What happens between appointments

Most of the change happens between visits, so expect to be given something to do.

• Recording. You may be asked to keep simple records of when a behaviour happens and what surrounded it. This is the raw material for the assessment and later for checking whether the plan is working.
• Trying strategies. Interim strategies get tested in real life and adjusted based on what you report back.
• Consistency. Strategies only work if the people around the person respond in similar ways at home, at school and in the community, which is why the plan involves everyone rather than just the participant.

Training the people around the person

Training and coaching is a core part of the service rather than an extra. It covers families, carers and support workers, and aims to make the strategies usable in ordinary moments rather than only in sessions. It typically includes coaching on behaviour, emotions and communication, education about trauma, neurodivergence or psychosocial disability where that is relevant, and practical guidance for support workers implementing the plan day to day. Where a plan is implemented by support workers, those workers need to be trained in it.

Reviews

Behaviour support plans are living documents. A plan should be reviewed when the person's situation changes, and a comprehensive plan containing regulated restrictive practices must be reviewed at least every 12 months while it is in force. Good practice is to check regularly whether the strategies are actually working rather than waiting for the deadline. Where authorised restrictive practices are being used, the provider implementing them must report their use to the NDIS Commission monthly.

Tell your practitioner about changes rather than waiting for the review. A house move, a school change, a new medication, a bereavement, a new support worker or a change in health can all shift what the plan needs to say.

If other therapy is involved too

Behaviour support often runs alongside other services. A speech pathologist may work on the communication gap that is driving the behaviour, an occupational therapist on sensory needs and daily routines, and a psychologist on a mental health condition or trauma. These are different funding lines and different clinicians, and they are meant to coordinate. Tell your practitioner who else is involved and give consent for them to talk to each other. The comparison between behaviour support and psychology is set out in more detail on the positive behaviour support page.

Booking, changing and cancelling

To book, call 1300 771 465, email hello@bloom-healthcare.com.au, or submit /referrals. Phones are attended Monday to Thursday 7:30am to 6:00pm and Friday 7:30am to 5:00pm, with Saturday by appointment. Referrals come from families and participants directly, and from support coordinators, plan managers, GPs, paediatricians, psychiatrists, schools and other clinicians with consent.

After the referral, you are sent a welcome pack and intake form, and the work cannot proceed until the form comes back, so return it promptly. Notice periods for changing or cancelling an appointment, along with fees and travel, are set out in the service agreement you sign before services begin. Read it before you sign and ask about anything that is unclear on 1300 771 465.

Common questions about booking positive behaviour support

What funding do I need before I can book?

Improved Relationships funding, in the Capacity Building part of your NDIS plan. Without it, specialist behaviour support cannot be claimed. Ask for it at your next plan review or through a plan change if it is not there.

How soon can I get a first appointment?

It depends on the discipline, your region and practitioner availability, so ask about current availability for your postcode when you call. If a restrictive practice is in use or safety is at stake, say so, because it affects how the referral is prioritised.

Will I get a plan at the first appointment?

No. The first appointment starts the functional behaviour assessment. Where a specialist behaviour support provider is engaged, an interim plan is required within one month and a comprehensive plan within six months.

Who needs to be there?

The participant, and the people who see the behaviour most often, which usually means family, carers and regular support workers. A support coordinator is useful if you have one. School or day program staff are normally involved shortly afterwards with your consent.

What should I bring?

Your NDIS plan and goals, any previous behaviour support plan, incident notes, reports from other clinicians and from school, current medications and health information, and details of everyone else involved in the person's supports.

Do I need to keep records before the first appointment?

It helps but it is not required. Even rough notes on dates, times, what happened before, and what happened afterwards give the practitioner patterns to work from and can shorten the assessment.

Can appointments happen at school or work?

Yes, and often they should. Observing the person in the settings where behaviour occurs is part of the assessment. This is arranged with your consent and with the site's agreement.

Can any of this be done by video?

Interviews, team meetings and coaching sessions often work well by secure video. Direct observation usually needs to be in person, because the point is to see the real environment.

How often will appointments happen after the assessment?

There is no fixed schedule. Frequency depends on the person's needs, the goals in the plan, what the plan requires, and how much funding is available. Agree an expected pattern with your practitioner early so you can budget your funding across the plan period.

How much will it cost?

Rates and any travel or cancellation terms are set out in the service agreement before work starts. If you are NDIA-managed or plan-managed, the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits apply. For a quote for your situation, call 1300 771 465.

Can I change practitioners if it is not working?

Yes. Choosing who supports you is part of choice and control, and you can ask for a different practitioner or move to another provider. Ask for your assessment material and current plan so the next practitioner does not start from scratch.

What if I do not agree with what is in the plan?

Say so before it is finalised. The plan must be developed in consultation with you, and you must agree to changes in your service arrangements. If a regulated restrictive practice is proposed, it has to be explained in plain English first, and you are entitled to ask what less restrictive options were considered and why they were rejected.