Everything You Need to Know About Behaviour Support Assessments

If you’re supporting someone with behaviours of concern but there’s no Positive Behaviour Support funding in their current NDIS plan, you’re not alone, and you’re not out of options.

A Behaviour Support Assessment (BSA) is a specific type of assessment designed for exactly this situation. It’s one of the most important steps a family or support coordinator can take, and one of the least understood parts of the NDIS journey.

A Behaviour Support Assessment is a thorough, structured assessment of a participant’s behaviours of concern. It looks at who the person is, what behaviours are occurring, what might be driving them, what risks are involved, and what level of ongoing support is going to be needed.

It does not include specific strategies or a detailed intervention plan. That’s what a Behaviour Support Plan (BSP) does. Think of the BSA as the step that comes before the plan — the evidence-gathering phase that answers the question: what is actually going on here, and what does this person need?

A BSA tells you what the problem is and what support is needed. A BSP tells you how to address it.

Both matter. But the BSA is often what makes everything else possible.

A Behaviour Support Assessment  (BSA) is completed when a participant has behaviours of concern but doesn’t have funding for a full Behaviour Support Plan in their current NDIS plan.

This happens more often than people realise. A participant might be funded under Improved Daily Living but not Improved Relationships, meaning behaviour support wasn’t included. Or behaviours may have emerged or escalated since the last plan was approved, and the funding no longer reflects what’s actually needed.

In these situations, a BSA can be completed using a different funding line: Assessment, Recommendation, Therapy or Training – Other Professional (NDIS line item 15_056_0128_1_3).

This means it’s accessible even when Improved Relationships funding isn’t in the plan.

A BSA is also particularly important when restrictive practices are already in place. If a participant is subject to physical restraint, environmental restraint, or any other regulated restrictive practice, an assessment needs to be underway. The BSA is the document that starts that process.

Participants aged 9 and over: A BSA can generally be completed without any additional constraints on which practitioner delivers it.

Participants under 9: The relevant line item can only be billed by practitioners with specific qualifications. This may mean some additional wait time, or the assessment may need to be completed via telehealth. It varies case by case.

If you’re not sure whether a participant is eligible, the best first step is to reach out and ask. We’ll give you a straight answer.

A Behaviour Support Assessment is not a tick-box exercise. It takes time, it involves the people who know the participant best, and it results in a document that gives everyone a clear picture of what’s happening and what’s needed.

Here’s what it covers:

Who the person is
The assessment starts from a person-centred foundation. What does the participant enjoy? What are their strengths? How do they communicate? What are their routines and sensory needs? Understanding the person behind the behaviour comes before any analysis.

Behaviours of concern
This section captures what specific behaviours are occurring, how often, how long they last, how intense they are, and what tends to trigger them. It also examines what function the behaviour might be serving for the person, because that’s what drives effective support.

Restrictive practices
If any restrictive practices are in place, the assessment documents them, assesses whether they meet legal and ethical standards, and flags anything that needs to change.

Formal assessments
Depending on the participant’s needs, the assessment may include tools such as the AQoL (Assessment of Quality of Life), WHODAS (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule), risk assessments, and sensory screenings. Only relevant assessments are conducted.

The Complexity Matrix
One of the most important parts of the BSA. It evaluates the overall complexity of the participant’s needs and produces a score that places them at a Moderate, High, or Very High level of complexity. That score directly determines the recommended level of PBS support and the hours required.

Recommendations
Based on all of the above, the BSA outlines exactly what support is recommended. This includes the types of activities involved and a realistic, evidence-based estimate of the hours required.

Impact of funding and risks without it
The final sections make the case plainly. What improves with the right support in place? What happens if it isn’t funded? These sections are written for the people making decisions about the plan, because they need to understand what’s at stake.

This is the part we want every family and support coordinator to understand clearly.

The NDIS doesn’t fund things because you ask for them. It funds things because there is evidence that they are needed.

A completed Behaviour Support Assessment is that evidence.

It demonstrates, in clinical detail, that the participant has behaviours of concern, that those behaviours have a measurable impact on their safety and quality of life, that the situation has a defined level of complexity, and that a specific type and level of support is required.

When the next plan review comes around, this document is the evidence base. It’s what a planner or Local Area Coordinator needs to see in order to include Improved Relationships funding in the plan.

Without it, that conversation is much harder. With it, you’re giving the decision-maker exactly what they need to say yes.

The BSA is not the final answer. But it is often the first one. And without it, the right support stays out of reach.

The completed assessment is shared with the participant and their support team, and from there it can be used in a few ways.

If the assessment identifies an immediate need, it’s often accompanied by a letter to the NDIS requesting a plan review or an interim funding decision. This is particularly important when restrictive practices are involved, as there are regulatory requirements that need to be met.

If the BSA is completed in preparation for an upcoming plan review, it becomes part of the supporting evidence the participant’s support coordinator or nominee includes in the planning conversation.

Either way, it doesn’t sit in a drawer. It’s a working document with a clear purpose: creating a pathway to the right level of support.

Timeframes vary depending on the complexity of the participant’s needs and how readily information can be gathered from the relevant people. Generally, a BSA can be completed within a few weeks of the information-gathering phase getting underway.

At Insight PBS, we allocate around 20 hours for a Behaviour Support Assessment. This allows the practitioner to:

• Meet the participant and family at home or another appropriate location
• Conduct information-gathering and formal assessments
• Complete the BSA report and funding recommendations
• Handle any additional contact along the way — emails, phone calls, care team meetings

This level of funding doesn’t allow for comprehensive strategies, training, or ongoing support — that’s what a full Behaviour Support Plan delivers. As a rough guide, 45 to 120 hours over a 12-month plan would be what we recommend for ongoing PBS support depending on complexity.

Don’t mistake the two. A BSA is a foundational assessment that identifies behaviours of concern and makes recommendations for future support. A BSP is a comprehensive plan that includes detailed strategies and interventions. The BSA is what makes the BSP possible. There are no strategies or interventions within a Behaviour Support Assessment.

If you’re supporting someone with behaviours of concern and you’re not sure what the options are, we’re happy to have that conversation. No obligation, just a straight answer about what might be the right fit.

You will be sent to our capacity request form. Please indicate in this form that you’re requesting a BSA.