Free template · Behaviour Support Impact Statement
Need PBS but don't have it funded in the NDIS plan?
Enter your email and we will send you our free template to use. The Behaviour Support Impact Statement gathers the evidence the NDIA needs in one place, ready to attach to a request for a plan variation or reassessment for Positive Behaviour Support funding.
- Free to download and use
- Built for plan variation and reassessment requests
- Statements from the whole care team
- A My voice section for the participant
Written for Support Coordinators, and just as useful for families, carers, support workers and clinicians who want to show the NDIA what is really happening.
Want to talk it through first? Book a free 15-minute consultation with one of our relationship managers.
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A clear path to the right funding
Under the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements, behaviour support is funded through Improved Relationships (Category 11), or through Behaviour Support (Category 20) in plans made under the NDIA's PACE system. The Improved Daily Living (Category 15) line item is described for therapy delivered by registered therapists, such as occupational therapists and speech pathologists.
For many participants, the need for behaviour support is clear, but the right funding is not yet in their plan. The pathway is a request to the NDIA for a plan variation or reassessment, and the NDIA decides on the strength of the evidence in front of it.
We did not want participants, families or Support Coordinators to face that step on their own. So we built the Impact Statement and made it free: a ready-to-use way to put clear, specific evidence in front of the NDIA, with a relationship manager on hand to talk it through.
Why we created it
The right to the right support
We believe the rights of people with disabilities should be fully upheld, and that includes the right to the right support. Too often, people who experience behaviours of concern miss out on Positive Behaviour Support funding. Their needs are real, but the NDIS hasn't been given clear, specific evidence of what is happening in their lives.
We created the Behaviour Support Impact Statement to change that. It is a free form that helps participants, families and supporters describe the behaviours, the risks, the impact on everyday life and the support needed. It gathers everything in one place, ready to attach to a request for Improved Relationships funding.
It puts the person first
The My voice section lets the person share what matters to them in their own words, however works best for them. This reflects our mission to promote individual empowerment and dismantle ableism. Behaviour is understood as communication.
It is open and honest
The form asks for real examples and real numbers. It invites people to record the steps taken to keep everyone safe without judgement, so practices that limit a person's rights can be seen and reduced.
It brings people together
Family, carers, Support Coordinators, support workers, teachers and clinicians can each add a supporter statement. Together they build one shared picture, which reflects our value of purposeful connection and collaboration.
Every person deserves to be heard and supported to live the life they choose. This statement is one way we help make that happen.
What is in the template
Three parts, one clear picture for the NDIA
Each part is completed by a different person, so the NDIA hears from the people who see the behaviours first-hand, and from the participant themselves.
About the person
Filled in by whoever is putting the statement together, usually the Support Coordinator.
- Plan details, disability and diagnoses, and who made them
- Any orders, current behaviour support plan or recent assessments
- Where the person lives
- An evidence checklist, so nothing useful is left out
Supporter statement
Each person who supports the participant completes their own copy.
- What the behaviours look like, how often, how long, and the harm caused
- Triggers, and the link to the person's disability
- Safety, risk and incidents over the last 3 and 12 months
- Impact on daily living, relationships, community and housing
- Two-person and overnight support, and what has already been tried
My voice
Completed by the participant, with help from someone they trust if they want it.
- What they like, and what makes a good day
- What is hard, or makes them upset
- What helps them feel calm and safe
- What they want help with, and their goals
Three rules that run through every section
Be specific
"High needs" or "for safety" is not enough on its own. Describe what actually happens and what you do.
Use numbers
How often, how long it lasts, and how many incidents in the last three months.
Show the link
Explain how the behaviours relate to the person's disability, and what has already been tried.
The template also lists free services that can help while you wait, including the Disability Gateway, Carer Gateway and the Disability Advocacy Finder, and includes a consent to share section for the participant, nominee or guardian to sign.
How to use it
From template to funding request in six steps
These are the same steps printed on the first page of the template, with a note on who usually does each one.
Check the NDIS plan
Confirm that the participant does not currently have behaviour support funding, under either Improved Relationships or Behaviour Support.
Gather relevant information
Incident reports, behaviour records, family and support worker observations, risk assessments, allied health reports, and details of current strategies or restrictive practices.
Complete the Impact Statement
About the person once, a supporter statement from each person who knows the participant well, and My voice from the participant.
Attach supporting evidence
Include relevant reports, incident records, and letters from providers, school or clinicians on letterhead where you have them.
Contact the NDIA
Advise the NDIA on 1800 800 110 that Behaviour Support funding is being requested, and provide the completed statement and evidence.
Follow the plan-change process
The NDIA will advise whether a plan variation or plan reassessment is required. If it needs more information, complete the relevant NDIA form and attach the Impact Statement.
If funding is approved
The participant can choose a registered specialist behaviour support provider to complete a Behaviour Support Assessment and work out their ongoing PBS needs. Insight PBS can help with this, and so can other registered providers. The choice is the participant's.
Important: the Impact Statement is supporting information only. It does not guarantee NDIS funding, and it does not replace an assessment by an NDIS Behaviour Support Practitioner.
For Support Coordinators
Where you make the difference
The request to the NDIA belongs to the participant, but in practice most of them are pulled together by a Support Coordinator. Here is how to get the most from the template.
Before you start
- Look across your caseload for participants with behaviours of concern who only have Improved Daily Living funding, or no behaviour support funding at all.
- Confirm consent. The participant, nominee or child representative needs to agree before you ask the NDIA for a plan change on their behalf.
- Send a supporter statement to each person who sees the behaviours first-hand: family, carers, support workers, teachers, day service staff and clinicians.
What makes the evidence land
- Real incidents with dates, counts and durations from the last 3 and 12 months.
- The link between the behaviours and the person's disability, in plain words.
- What has already been tried, and what did or did not help.
- Open detail about what is done to keep people safe, including any restrictive practices.
- Letters on letterhead from providers, school or clinicians, wherever you can get them.
Plan variation or plan reassessment?
You do not have to choose. The NDIA decides which one applies, based on the size of the change being asked for.
| Plan variation | Plan reassessment | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A smaller change to the current plan, which can include funding for short-term supports when a situation changes suddenly. | A significant change, where the NDIA replaces the current plan with a new one. |
| Typical trigger | Behaviours have emerged or escalated and support is needed now. | The person's circumstances have changed and the plan no longer meets their needs. |
| Who can ask | The participant, their plan nominee or child representative, or a Support Coordinator with their consent. | |
Once funding is in place
How Insight PBS can help next
Once Improved Relationships or Behaviour Support funding is in the plan, our practitioners can pick up where the Impact Statement leaves off.
A comprehensive assessment
A Behaviour Support Assessment that looks at who the person is, what the behaviour is communicating and what support they need.
A behaviour support plan
Developed with the person and their supporters, and grounded in their quality of life rather than in controlling behaviour.
Training for the team
Families and support teams learn the strategies, so the plan works every day and not only on visit days.
Fewer restrictive practices
A considered path towards reducing, and where possible removing, practices that limit the person's rights.
Send the referral as soon as the funding is confirmed, and let us know the Impact Statement was used. It gives the practitioner a head start.
FAQ
Impact Statement questions, answered plainly
What is the Behaviour Support Impact Statement?
A free template from Insight PBS that helps participants, families and supporters describe the behaviours of concern, the risks, the impact on everyday life and the support needed. It brings that evidence together in one document, ready to attach to a request to the NDIA for a plan variation or reassessment for Positive Behaviour Support funding.
Is it free, and do we have to use Insight PBS afterwards?
It is free, and there is no obligation. If funding is approved, the participant can choose any registered specialist behaviour support provider. We would be glad to help, but the choice is theirs.
Can Improved Daily Living funding be used for behaviour support?
Under the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements, the Improved Daily Living line item is described for therapy delivered by registered therapists, such as occupational therapists and speech pathologists. Behaviour support is funded through Improved Relationships or Behaviour Support, so those are the categories we accept. If a plan only includes Improved Daily Living, the Impact Statement helps you request the right funding.
What funding does Insight PBS accept for behaviour support?
Improved Relationships (Category 11), or Behaviour Support (Category 20) in plans made under the NDIA's PACE system. Please confirm the funding before a referral is submitted. If you are not sure what a plan includes, book a 15-minute consultation and we will look at it with you.
Who needs to contact the NDIA?
The participant, their plan nominee or child representative should advise the NDIA on 1800 800 110 that Behaviour Support funding is being requested, and provide the completed statement and evidence. A Support Coordinator can make the request on their behalf, as long as the participant or their representative has given consent.
Should we ask for a plan variation or a plan reassessment?
The NDIA decides. A plan variation is a smaller change to the current plan, and can include short-term supports when a situation changes suddenly. A plan reassessment is used when the change is significant and the plan is replaced with a new one. Tell the NDIA that Behaviour Support funding is being requested and it will advise which process applies.
Does the Impact Statement guarantee funding?
No. It is supporting information only. It does not guarantee NDIS funding, and it does not replace an assessment by an NDIS Behaviour Support Practitioner. What it does is make sure the NDIA has clear, specific evidence in front of it when it makes the decision.
Who should complete a supporter statement?
Anyone who supports the person and sees the behaviours first-hand: family members, carers, Support Coordinators, support workers, teachers, day service staff and clinicians. Each supporter completes their own copy, so several short statements from different settings are better than one long one.
What if restrictive practices are being used?
Record them openly in the safety section, which asks about them without judgement. Regulated restrictive practices need a behaviour support plan written by an NDIS Behaviour Support Practitioner, so their use is an important part of the case for funding. If there is ever an immediate risk to safety, call 000.
What happens after I enter my email?
The template arrives in your inbox within a few minutes. You will be invited to book a free 15-minute consultation, and a relationship manager may get in touch to see whether you need a hand. You can unsubscribe from our emails at any time.
What does the free 15-minute consultation cover?
Your participant's situation, which evidence to gather first, how the NDIA request works, and what happens once funding is approved, including current wait times in your region. There is no cost and no obligation.
More questions about how we work are answered in our full FAQ.
Help the NDIA see the full picture
Download the free template, or talk to a relationship manager about the best way to get behaviour support funding into your participant's plan.
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Choose a timeSomething urgent? Call 1300 824 930 or email hello@insightpbs.com.au.
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A relationship manager will walk you through the steps, and how to get behaviour support funding into your participant's plan.
- Which evidence will carry the most weight for your participant
- How the NDIA request works, and what to expect
- What happens once funding is approved, including wait times
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