Behaviour support plan (BSP)

What is a behaviour support plan (BSP)?

A behaviour support plan (BSP) is a document written by an NDIS behaviour support practitioner that sets out evidence-based strategies to improve a person's quality of life and reduce behaviours of concern. It is based on an assessment of why the behaviour happens, and it tells everyone who supports the person what to do day to day. If any regulated restrictive practice is to be used, it must be written into the BSP.

The NDIS rules for BSPs are in the NDIS (Restrictive Practices and Behaviour Support) Rules 2018, which describe two kinds of plan: an interim plan that addresses immediate needs, and a comprehensive plan based on a functional behavioural assessment. Plans must follow positive behaviour support (PBS), which puts the person's quality of life first.

A "behaviour of concern" (sometimes called challenging behaviour) is behaviour that puts the person or others at risk of harm, or limits the person's quality of life, such as self-injury, aggression or property destruction. A BSP doesn't label the person; it explains what the behaviour communicates and how to meet that need another way.

Who writes a BSP and who uses it

Only a behaviour support practitioner the NDIS Commission considers suitable can write a plan that contains a regulated restrictive practice. The practitioner works for, or as, a registered specialist behaviour support provider (registration group 0110, specialist positive behaviour support).

The plan is then put into action by the implementing provider: the SIL, community access, respite or other registered provider whose workers support the person. Families, teachers and other carers often use the same strategies, with the person's consent. The roles look like this:

BSPs across different settings

One person may be supported by several organisations: a SIL provider at home, a day program, a respite provider and a school. The plan works best when everyone uses the same strategies, so practitioners usually share relevant parts of the plan with each setting, with the person's consent. Each registered provider that implements a regulated restrictive practice carries its own obligations to record, report and follow the plan. Schools and families aren't NDIS providers, so the NDIS reporting rules don't apply to them, but consistent strategies across settings still make the biggest difference to the person. If a strategy only works in one setting, that is useful information for the practitioner's next review.

How a BSP works: interim and comprehensive plans

The specialist behaviour support provider must develop an interim plan within 1 month of being engaged and a comprehensive plan within 6 months. Where a regulated restrictive practice is already being used, the implementing provider's deadlines run from first use instead, so engaging a practitioner late shortens the time they have (see the Commission's rules for implementing providers).

A comprehensive plan containing a regulated restrictive practice must be reviewed at least every 12 months, and sooner if the person's circumstances change. The implementing provider must tell the practitioner when a change means the plan needs review. In May 2026 the Commission published policy guidance on monitoring and reviewing behaviour support plans, describing monitoring as a shared responsibility between the practitioner and the people implementing the plan.

The functional behavioural assessment

A comprehensive plan rests on a functional behavioural assessment (FBA): the process of working out the function or purpose behind a person's behaviour. The practitioner collects data and observations and talks with the person and the people around them to understand which events and circumstances trigger the behaviour and which keep it going. Common functions include communicating pain or distress, escaping a demand, getting attention or access to something, or sensory needs.

The FBA is what makes a plan specific to the person rather than a generic list of "dos and don'ts". If two people both hit out, one may be in pain and the other overwhelmed by noise, and the strategies for each will be completely different. Implementers help by keeping accurate records, such as antecedent-behaviour-consequence (ABC) charts, so the practitioner has real data to work with.

What a good BSP contains

The Commission's behaviour support resources and its behaviour support assessment guide (May 2026) describe what practitioners are expected to cover. In practice a comprehensive plan usually includes:

How to get a behaviour support plan

Behaviour support is usually funded in the Capacity Building part of an NDIS plan, under Improved Relationships. The main support items in the 2026-27 pricing schedule are "Specialist Behavioural Intervention Support" and "Behaviour Management Plan Implementation"; check current item numbers and price limits in the NDIS pricing arrangements or the free NDIS price guide.

If a restrictive practice is already happening without a plan, tell the provider to engage a practitioner straight away: the use is a reportable incident and the 1-month clock is already running.

BSP vs other plans

• BSP vs NDIS plan. The NDIS plan is the participant's funding plan from the NDIA. The BSP is a clinical support plan written by a practitioner and paid for from that funding.
• BSP vs risk assessment. A risk assessment identifies hazards and controls. A BSP explains why behaviour happens and how to support the person; it often draws on the risk assessment.
• BSP vs restrictive practice authorisation. They are separate. The plan proposes a practice; the state or territory process authorises it. Neither replaces the other.
• Interim vs comprehensive BSP. The interim plan is a quick, safety-focused plan; the comprehensive plan rests on a full functional behavioural assessment.

What implementing providers need to do

When a BSP arrives, the implementing provider's job is to make it work on every shift. The supplementary Practice Standard for implementing behaviour support plans (Module 2A) applies to registered providers using restrictive practices. Practical steps:

1. Check the plan. Confirm it is the current version. If it contains regulated practices, check it is lodged in the NDIS Commission Portal, activate it, and lodge the authorisation evidence.
2. Train before rostering. Have the practitioner train the core team, and induct relief and agency staff before their first shift with the person.
3. Record the right data. Behaviour records, each use of a restrictive practice, and the proactive strategies that worked. Clear progress notes help the practitioner see what is changing.
4. Report monthly on every regulated practice in the plan, including nil use.
5. Feed back. Send data to the practitioner regularly and tell them straight away when circumstances change.

What participants and families should know

A BSP is about you, so you should be part of writing it. You can ask the practitioner to explain the assessment, say which strategies feel right, and ask for an easy-read or visual version. If a restrictive practice is proposed, you can ask why less restrictive options won't work, how long it will be used, and how it will be reduced. A guardian, family member or independent advocate can help you take part.

You can also ask for a copy of the plan, and you can ask for a review if your life changes: a new home, a new school, a health change or new housemates. If you're unhappy with how a plan is being used, raise it with the practitioner or provider first; you can also contact the NDIS Commission.

Recent changes (2025–2026)

• The Rules are unchanged. The Restrictive Practices and Behaviour Support Rules were last amended with effect from 1 December 2020, with no later amendments as at October 2026, so the 1-month, 6-month and 12-month timeframes stand.
• New Commission guidance in May 2026 on behaviour support assessment, including FBA, and on monitoring and reviewing plans. Both raise expectations that fade-out strategies are actually carried out, not just written.
• Stricter entry for new practitioners. The Commission updated its guidance on suitability for new entry-level practitioners in April 2026; see behaviour support practitioner.
• More implementing providers. Mandatory registration for SIL from 1 July 2026 means more shared-living providers implementing BSPs are covered by Module 2A.

Common mistakes

• Filing the plan instead of using it. A BSP in a folder that relief staff never read protects no one.
• Recording only the bad days. If workers only write when something goes wrong, the practitioner can't tell which strategies work.
• Letting the plan lapse. Reviews and authorisations are time-limited; diarise both.
• Using a practice the plan doesn't mention. Even if it seems minor, it is unauthorised.
• Treating the BSP as permanent. Every plan with a restrictive practice should be working to reduce and remove it.