Support plans for NDIS participants are a necessary tool when it comes to helping those around them manage concerning or aggressive behaviour.
But an audit conducted by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission in 2021 found 68 per cent of NDIS participants had not been included in or consulted about their behaviour support plans (BSPs).
Often, it was those with little to no verbal communication skills not being included.
BSPs outline positive strategies that can be used by family members and support workers to meet a person's behavioural needs. For example, teaching a person to use a sign or symbol in lieu of displaying a behaviour of concern to communicate their need.
They also outline strategies that can be used to help keep the person and others safe if the behaviours pose a risk of harm.
It's crucial for NDIS participants to be included in the development of their BSPs to ensure they accurately reflect the person's circumstances and their preferences around how they would like to be supported.
Given this, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission awarded funding to researchers from The University of Queensland and the University of Melbourne to address the lack of inclusion and consultation of NDIS participants in the development of their plans.
With support from a national consortium of behaviour support providers, disability advocacy groups and disability services peak bodies, researchers developed The Right Direction website.
The website contains videos, tipsheets and worksheets to help behaviour support practitioners meaningfully engage and collaborate with NDIS participants. The resources focus on how a behaviour support practitioner can adapt their communication to suit a wide range of communication needs, how they can prepare to have difficult conversations, and how they can talk about behaviour support in ways everyone can understand.
The website launched in September 2025, with positive feedback already received from behaviour support practitioners who have engaged with the website and the resources housed within.
The hope is that the gradual use of website's resources will see more inclusion and consultation in the future.
Professor Rhonda Faragher , Professor Karen Nankervis and Dr Maria Vassos are from UQ's School of Education.
Collaboration and acknowledgements
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission awarded funding to researchers from The University of Queensland and the University of Melbourne to develop The Right Direction website.
