For self-managed & privately funded participants
Getting started: read this before we begin
When you manage your own funding, or pay us privately, there is nobody in between us checking the invoices and interpreting the rules for you. So we would rather over-explain than have you discover something halfway through. This page sets out every step, what we will do at each one, what we need from you, and what the money is being spent on.
- The full process
- What we do
- What you do
- Meeting your practitioner
- What it costs
Prefer to talk it through? Call 1300 824 930 and ask for the intake team.
Nothing here is a surprise later
Every point on this page also appears in the service agreement you will be asked to sign. We have put it here in plain language first, so that signing is a confirmation of things you already understand rather than the moment you find them out.
Start here
What Positive Behaviour Support actually is
Worth settling first, because people arrive with quite different expectations of what they are buying.
“A therapist will see my family member each week and work on their behaviour.”
PBS is not counselling or psychological therapy. It is practical, day-to-day support planning. Your practitioner works out why behaviour is happening and designs strategies that fit real life, then teaches the people already around the person to use them.
“Who actually carries out the strategies day to day?”
You and the people who provide direct support. Family, support workers, school or day program staff. The practitioner acts as a coach: giving guidance, demonstrating, training and problem-solving so everyone can use the strategies safely and consistently.
The point of the whole exercise
PBS is an evidence-based, person-centred approach to improving quality of life and reducing behaviours of concern. Under the NDIS it also aims to reduce and where possible eliminate restrictive practices, and to build strategies that help the person reach their own goals.
It works through the environment and the people in it, not through sessions with an individual. That is why so much of the process below involves other people, and why your help connecting us to them matters as much as it does.
The process
Every step, and who does what at each one
From the moment you submit a referral to the point where strategies are working and being reviewed. Timeframes are typical, not guaranteed, and your practitioner will confirm the specifics with you.
Referral and service agreement
You submit a referral. Our admin team processes it, sends you a service agreement, and once that comes back signed you go onto the waitlist for your area.
Matching and allocation
We match you to a practitioner based on the participant's needs, goals and context, and on who is available near you. Current waiting times are published by location on our website.
Your practitioner makes contact
They introduce themselves and book an initial conversation. The aim is to arrange that first appointment as soon as possible after allocation, ideally within a week.
Information gathering
Your practitioner builds a picture: goals, what is happening day to day, triggers, what already helps. With consent, they speak with the key people around the participant and review any existing reports.
Assessment and observation
We complete the assessments and observations needed to understand the function of behaviours of concern, alongside the person's strengths and needs. Assessments may run across more than one session, and observations may happen in several settings.
Recommendations and plan writing
We develop recommendations and write the required documents, which may include a Behaviour Support Plan and assessment reports, then talk them through with you and the team.
Implementation and training
We coach the team, and the participant where appropriate, to understand and use the strategies. We help plan practical changes and track what is working.
Review and adjustment
We check how strategies are going, support the people delivering them, and update the plan and strategy protocols where changes will improve outcomes.
Your involvement changes the outcome
The NDIS sets fixed deadlines for behaviour support plans, and they start counting from commencement rather than from when information becomes available. Sharing background detail promptly and helping us reach the key people in the participant's life is the single biggest thing you can do to make sure the plan we produce inside those deadlines is an accurate one.
The question we get asked most
Can we meet the practitioner before signing?
It is a fair thing to want, and it comes up often enough that it deserves a proper answer rather than a policy line. The short version: you meet your practitioner at your first appointment, not before it, and the agreement you sign beforehand does not commit you to continuing.
Signing the service agreement is not a commitment to proceed
This is the part worth understanding before anything else, because most concern about signing first comes from an assumption that it locks you in. It does not.
There is no minimum number of hours and no obligation to use any particular amount of your funding.
You can end services at any time, for any reason, with the notice set out in the agreement. We do not charge cancellation fees for ending an engagement.
Intake, matching and allocation are administrative. Nothing is billed until your practitioner starts work on your file.
If the fit is not right after you meet them, tell us. Requesting a different practitioner does not cost you anything and does not require a reason.
If you meet your practitioner, decide it is not the right match, and choose not to continue, you have spent one appointment finding that out. That is the same position you would be in after a paid meet and greet, without the wait.
Why the agreement comes first
Four practical reasons, none of which are about locking you in.
Consent to share information
The agreement includes your consent for us to contact the people around the participant and to collect and store information. Your practitioner cannot do the groundwork that makes a first appointment useful without it.
The schedule of supports
It sets out what we will deliver and what it will cost, built from your referral. We want you to check it and tell us if it is wrong before anyone starts work, not after.
Responsibilities on both sides
Notice periods, privacy and confidentiality, and how we treat each other. These apply from the first conversation onwards, so they need to be agreed before it happens.
The first appointment is clinical work
It includes risk screening and information gathering so the practitioner understands the behaviours of concern and the reasons for referral. That is a professional consultation, and it needs the consents above in place.
“So I never get to meet anyone before I commit?”
You meet them at your first appointment, in the same way you would with any other allied health professional. When you see a psychologist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist or speech pathologist, the first session is where you meet them, form a view, and decide whether to book a second. Behaviour support works the same way. The difference with us is that ending after that first appointment costs you nothing beyond the appointment itself.
“Is this an NDIS requirement, or your policy?”
It is our process, not a rule imposed on us. We would rather say that plainly than hide behind the scheme. We have set it up this way because the consents and the schedule need to be in place before clinical work begins, and because a separate unfunded meeting would duplicate the first appointment while pushing back the date you actually start. If that reasoning does not work for you, tell us and we will talk about it.
Allocation
How we match you, and the control you keep
Matching is not us deciding what is good for you. It is us working out which of our practitioners has the right skills and the capacity to do this particular piece of work well, then putting that to you.
What goes into the match
- The presentation and support needs described in your referral, and whether a practitioner has genuine experience with them
- Capability level, because complexity and restrictive practices call for particular levels of practitioner
- Current capacity, so you are matched to someone who can actually start rather than someone who will keep you waiting
- Location and travel, since a practitioner closer to you means less of your funding spent on getting to you
- Language, cultural considerations and the participant's age
- Any preference you have told us about, including gender of practitioner or a specific person by name
None of this is billed. Intake, matching and allocation are part of our administration, and no invoice is raised until your practitioner begins work on your file.
Choice and control, in practical terms
Choice and control is not a slogan we are working around. Here is exactly where it sits in this process, and how to use it.
- Ask for someone specific. The referral form has fields for a named practitioner and for gender preference. We will meet the request where availability allows, and tell you honestly when it does not.
- Ask about them before you meet. Once allocated, ask us for your practitioner's background, capability level and experience with presentations like the participant's. We will send it.
- Speak to their Team Leader first. If you would like a conversation about the match before your first appointment, ask. Their Team Leader's details are in your allocation email.
- Change practitioner at any time. No reason required, no fee, and no effect on the service you receive.
- Stop whenever you want. Ending services carries no cancellation fee and no penalty.
The money
What you are billed for, and when
We bill for time spent delivering the service. Some of that time is spent with you and some of it is not, and the second part is where most questions come from.
Time with you
Appointments and meetings with you, the participant and other relevant people. Interviews, assessments and observations in whichever settings matter.
Time away from you
Writing the required reports, reviewing information you have provided, and researching evidence-based strategies for the specific situation. This is billable time.
Time coordinating
The calls, emails and letters needed to deliver the service, including liaison with schools, day programs, support coordinators and other providers.
Invoices go out weekly and are payable by the due date. Every line is itemised so you can see exactly what the time was spent on. Rates follow the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits and change when the NDIA updates them, usually from 1 July.
The work is front-loaded. Most funding is used early, during information gathering, assessment, plan writing and initial coaching. Once the plan is in place and the team is confident, support tapers to check-ins, troubleshooting and required reviews. Budget for a heavy start and a lighter middle.
Under the traditional categories you may see two line items, SBIS and BMP, which can be used interchangeably across the plan period. Under PACE they are combined into a single Behaviour Support category, so everything appears under one item. Full figures are on our pricing page.
Two things worth knowing early
Travel and cancellations
Travel
Where travel is required to deliver supports, we charge reasonable travel costs in line with the Price Guide, and only where the rules allow it. That can include travel time, billed at half the hourly rate and time-capped in metro and regional areas, and non-labour costs such as kilometres at $0.99. Travel is always itemised separately on your invoice.
Cancellations and non-attendance
If an appointment is not cancelled or rescheduled at least 48 hours, meaning two business days, beforehand, we charge 100% of the scheduled service price. Cancel or move it with more than 48 hours notice and there is no fee at all. This aligns with the NDIS Price Guide and applies equally to private clients.
Appointments can happen in several ways. Video call, phone, email and letter, and in-person meetings where they are needed. Tell your practitioner whether you prefer more in-person visits, more telehealth, or a mix, and they will build the schedule around that.
The deal, both ways
What you can expect from us, and what we ask of you
Insight PBS will
- Review supports at least monthly
- Provide supports at agreed times and communicate openly and honestly
- Treat you with courtesy and respect, and protect your privacy
- Consult you about decisions that affect your supports
- Give you information about how to raise complaints or disagreements
- Keep accurate records and issue invoices and statements as requested
- Give at least 24 hours notice where we need to change an appointment, and offer alternatives
We ask that you
- Tell us how you want supports delivered so they meet your needs
- Raise concerns early, while they are still easy to fix
- Keep a respectful, professional relationship with our staff. Abuse is not tolerated
- Tell us quickly if your funding management changes, or if your plan is suspended or replaced
- Pay invoices by the due date, and talk to us early if that is going to be difficult
- Let us know if you wish to end the agreement, giving the required notice
If something is not right
Raising a concern
We would much rather hear about a problem while it is small. Nothing about raising a concern affects the service you receive.
Speak to your practitioner
By phone or email, whichever suits. Most issues are resolved fastest at this level, because the person who can change something is the person you are telling.
Contact their Team Leader
If you would rather not raise it with the practitioner directly, or it has not been resolved. Their Team Leader's details are always included in your allocation email.
Make a formal complaint
Call 1300 824 930 and choose option 1, or use the forms on our feedback page. If we do not hear otherwise, services continue as planned.
1300 824 930, option 1
insightpbs.com.au/feedback
hello@insightpbs.com.au
Before we start
Make sure you understand all of these
Work through this list before you sign the service agreement. If any of it is unclear, or does not fit your circumstances, say so now rather than later. Ring us and we will go through it with you point by point.
PBS is not counselling or therapy It is practical support planning delivered through the people around the participant.
Day-to-day strategies are delivered by you and your team The practitioner coaches, trains and problem-solves rather than delivering strategies directly.
Work happening away from you is still billable Report writing, reviewing information and liaising with others is service delivery, not admin overhead.
Funding is used heavily at the start Assessment, plan writing and initial training consume most of it. Later work is lighter.
Invoices are issued weekly Payable by the due date shown on each one.
If you self-manage, you claim it back yourself Through the myNDIS portal, and you keep the records for five years.
Travel may be charged where it is required Time at half the hourly rate, plus kilometres where your funding allows it. Always itemised.
Less than 48 hours notice means the full fee Two business days. More notice than that and there is no charge.
Services run Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm Tell us the days and times that work best within that.
We are obligated to produce NDIS-required reports Interim plan within one month, comprehensive plan within six.
We will need to speak with key people With your consent: family, support workers, school or day program, support coordinator.
You meet your practitioner at the first appointment Signing beforehand carries no minimum spend, no lock-in and no exit fee, and you can change practitioner at any time.
You know how to raise a concern Practitioner first, then Team Leader, then formal complaint on 1300 824 930.
Questions to have ready for your first conversation
Who are the key people who should be involved? What is the best way for us to communicate with you? Do you prefer in-person visits, telehealth, or a mix? Are there days or times that work better? Is there anything you need from us to make appointments accessible or comfortable? Who should receive invoices and communication?
FAQ
The rest of the questions
How long before we actually start?
Two things determine it: how quickly the signed agreement comes back, and the current waiting time in your area. Once a practitioner is allocated, they contact you within one to two business days and aim to hold the first appointment within a week. Waiting times by location are published on our wait times page.
Can I request a particular practitioner, or a practitioner of a particular gender?
You can ask, and the referral form has fields for both. We will do our best, though availability in your area sets the limits. The form also asks what you would like to happen if your preference is not available, so tell us there.
Why can I not meet the practitioner before I sign anything?
Because the first appointment is clinical work rather than an introduction, and it needs your consent to share information and an agreed schedule of supports in place before it happens. The thing worth knowing is that signing does not commit you to continuing: no minimum spend, no lock-in, no exit fee, and you can change practitioner or stop at any point. There is a full explanation in meeting your practitioner.
Am I charged anything before services start?
No. Intake, matching and allocation are administrative and are never invoiced. The first charge you will see is for work your practitioner does on your file after allocation.
I am comparing several providers. Does signing with you rule the others out?
Not at all, and it is sensible to compare. Tell us you are doing it and we will give you what you need: your practitioner's background and capability level, a realistic start date, and an estimate of hours. Signing an agreement with us does not prevent you signing elsewhere or walking away.
Can everything be done by telehealth?
Much of it can. Appointments happen by video call, phone, email and letter, with in-person meetings where they are genuinely needed. Observation in real settings is often valuable enough to be worth an in-person visit, and your practitioner will explain when that is the case.
Why do you need to talk to my child's school or my support workers?
Because they are the people who will carry out the strategies, and because behaviour usually looks different across settings. Understanding those differences is often what reveals why it is happening. We only make contact with your consent.
What happens if I want to stop?
Let us know. The service agreement sets out the notice period. There is no penalty for ending an engagement and you are welcome to tell us why, though you are not obliged to.
Can I get an estimate of hours before committing?
Yes. Ask, and your practitioner will give you an estimate of the hours expected for assessment and plan development in your particular situation. Ask again at any point during the engagement and you will get an updated figure.
Does any of this differ if I am paying privately rather than through the NDIS?
The process, the rates, the invoicing and the cancellation terms are the same. Where behaviour support is delivered outside the NDIS, some reporting obligations relating to restrictive practices differ, and your practitioner will explain what applies to you.
Ready when you are
If everything on this page makes sense, the next step is a referral. If any of it does not, ring us first. That is a better use of ten minutes than discovering it later.
Start a referral
Around 15 minutes. Once we have it, we will send the service agreement and confirm your place on the waitlist.
Refer to usAsk a question first
Call 1300 824 930 or send a message. We will walk through anything on this page with you, no obligation.
Contact us