Behaviour Support Assessment · No PBS funding required
No behaviour support funding? Start with the evidence
The NDIS does not fund supports because you asked for them. It funds them because there is evidence they are needed. A Behaviour Support Assessment is that evidence: a structured clinical assessment of what is happening, how complex it is, and exactly what support the participant requires. It can be funded even when Improved Relationships is not in the plan.
- Funded under line item 15_056_0128_1_3
- No Improved Relationships funding needed
- Around 20 hours of work
- Built for your next plan review
Not sure a BSA is the right step? Call 1300 824 930. If a full Behaviour Support Plan is the better option, or if nothing is needed yet, we will say so.
The funding line that makes it possible
A BSA is billed under Assessment, Recommendation, Therapy or Training, Other Professional, which sits outside Improved Relationships. That is the whole point: it is reachable when behaviour support funding is not.
15_056_0128_1_3The short version
A BSA tells you what the problem is. A BSP tells you how to fix it.
These two documents get confused constantly, and the confusion costs families time and funding. A Behaviour Support Assessment is a thorough, structured look at a participant's behaviours of concern: who the person is, what is happening, what might be driving it, what the risks are, and what level of support is needed. It contains no strategies and no intervention plan. That is the Behaviour Support Plan's job, and the assessment is what makes the plan possible.
| Behaviour Support Assessment | Behaviour Support Plan | |
|---|---|---|
| The question it answers | What is actually going on here, and what does this person need? | How do we change it, and who does what? |
| What it contains | Person-centred profile, behaviours of concern, restrictive practices, formal assessments, a complexity rating and recommendations for support | Detailed strategies, environmental changes, skill teaching, training for the support network, and a path away from restrictive practices |
| Strategies included | None. This is the evidence-gathering step | Yes. This is where intervention lives |
| Funding needed | Reachable without Improved Relationships funding15_056_0128_1_3 | Usually Improved Relationships, sometimes Improved Daily Living or Core |
| Typical size | Around 20 hours | 45 to 120 hours over a 12-month plan, depending on complexity |
| What it is for | Making the case for funding at a plan review or change of circumstances | Delivering the support once the funding is in place |
Both matter. But when there is no behaviour support funding in the plan, the assessment is the only one of the two you can actually start with.
When a BSA is the right step
Three situations we see constantly
A BSA is completed when a participant has behaviours of concern but the current plan does not fund a full Behaviour Support Plan. That is far more common than most families realise.
The plan funds the wrong category
A participant is funded under Improved Daily Living but not Improved Relationships, so behaviour support was never included. The need is real, the funding line simply is not there. A BSA is reachable under a different line item, which is what makes it the practical starting point.
Behaviours emerged or escalated after the plan was approved
Plans are written at a point in time. Circumstances change: a new environment, a school transition, a health issue, a change in household. The funding in the plan reflects the participant as they were, not as they are now.
Restrictive practices are already in place
If a participant is subject to a regulated restrictive practice, whether chemical, environmental, mechanical, physical or seclusion, an assessment needs to be underway. This is not optional and it is not something to wait out until the next plan review.
Nobody can agree on what is actually needed
Sometimes the participant, the family, the school and the support coordinator each hold a different piece of the picture, and no one document brings it together. The assessment does exactly that, without committing anyone to a full support engagement yet.
Who can access one. For participants aged 9 and over, a BSA can generally be completed with no additional constraints on which practitioner delivers it. For participants under 9, the line item can only be billed by practitioners holding specific qualifications, which can mean extra wait time or delivery via telehealth. It varies case by case, so ask us rather than assume.
What is in the document
Six sections, none of them tick-box
A BSA takes time, involves the people who know the participant best, and produces a document that gives everyone a clear picture of what is happening and what is needed.
Who the person is
The assessment starts person-centred, before any analysis. What does the participant enjoy, what are their strengths, how do they communicate, what are their routines and sensory needs? Understanding the person comes before understanding the behaviour.
Behaviours of concern
What is occurring, how often, for how long, how intensely, and what tends to set it off. It also examines what function the behaviour serves for the person, because function is what makes later support effective rather than cosmetic.
Restrictive practices
Where restrictive practices are in place, the assessment documents them, tests them against legal and ethical standards, and flags anything that needs to change. This section is why senior review is required on some assessments.
Formal assessments
Tools are chosen for the participant, not applied from a standard checklist. Depending on need this may include the AQoL, the WHODAS, risk assessments and sensory screenings. Only relevant assessments are conducted.
Recommendations
What support is recommended, what activities it involves, and a realistic, evidence-based estimate of the hours required. Specific enough for a planner to act on, rather than a general statement that support would be beneficial.
Impact of funding, and risk without it
The closing sections state the case plainly: what improves with the right support in place, and what happens if it is not funded. These are written for the people deciding on the plan, because they are the ones who need to weigh it.
What a BSA does not contain: strategies, interventions, or training for the support network. Those belong to a Behaviour Support Plan. Twenty hours buys a clear, defensible picture of the situation, not the response to it.
The part that decides the hours
The Complexity Matrix
This is the section that does the most work in a funding conversation. The matrix evaluates the overall complexity of the participant's needs and produces a score, and that score places the participant at one of three levels. The level directly determines the recommended type of PBS support and the hours attached to it, which is what turns a clinical opinion into a number a planner can fund.
Moderate
Behaviours of concern are present and having a real impact, but risk is contained and the support network is relatively stable. Support is focused and time-bound.
High
Higher risk, greater frequency or intensity, and more environments and people involved. Often includes restrictive practices, multiple providers, or behaviour affecting housing, school or community access.
Very High
Significant risk to the participant or others, complex health or environmental factors, and a support network requiring substantial coordination. Higher practitioner capability and considerably more hours.
As a general guide, ongoing PBS support of 45 to 120 hours over a 12-month plan is what we would recommend depending on where the participant sits. The assessment shows the reasoning behind that number rather than asserting it, which is what makes it usable at a plan review.
Why it matters
Give the decision-maker what they need to say yes
This is the part we want every family and support coordinator to understand clearly. The NDIS does not fund things because you ask for them. It funds things because there is evidence they are needed, and a completed Behaviour Support Assessment is that evidence.
What the document demonstrates
- That the participant has behaviours of concern, described clinically rather than anecdotally
- That those behaviours have a measurable impact on safety and quality of life
- That the situation has a defined, scored level of complexity
- That a specific type and quantity of support is required, with the reasoning shown
When the next plan review comes around, this is the document a planner or Local Area Coordinator needs in front of them to include Improved Relationships funding. Without it, that conversation is much harder. With it, you are handing over exactly what the decision rests on.
The BSA is not the final answer. It is usually the first one, and without it the right support tends to stay out of reach.
How it runs
What the 20 hours buys, and what happens after
Timeframes depend on complexity and on how readily information can be gathered from the people involved. Generally a BSA is completed within a few weeks of information gathering getting underway.
Request and allocation
You submit a capacity request noting that you want a BSA. We check the funding line, the participant's age, the region and our capacity, then allocate a practitioner.
Meeting and information gathering
The practitioner meets the participant and family at home or another suitable place, speaks with the people who know them best, and reviews existing records and reports.
Formal assessment and analysis
Relevant tools are administered, risk is assessed, restrictive practices are documented, and the Complexity Matrix is scored. Where restrictive practices are identified, a senior practitioner or supervisor reviews and approves the assessment.
Report, recommendations and next move
The completed BSA is shared with the participant and their support team. Where there is immediate need, it can be accompanied by a letter to the NDIS requesting a plan review or an interim funding decision.
The 20 hours covers: meeting the participant and family in person, information gathering and formal assessments, writing the report and funding recommendations, and the emails, calls and care team meetings that happen along the way.
It does not stretch to comprehensive strategies, training or ongoing support. That is a Behaviour Support Plan, and the assessment is what gets you there. Either way the document does not sit in a drawer: it is a working document with one job, which is creating a pathway to the right level of support.
Who writes it
An assessment is only as good as the practitioner behind it
The NDIS Commission's own 2026 practice guide on behaviour support assessment exists because plan quality across the sector still sits in the underdeveloped range, and a plan is never better than the assessment beneath it. That is the standard we are writing to.
Trained before they start
Every practitioner completes six weeks of internal training before working with participants, on top of their qualifications and NDIS Commission suitability, and continues under supervision after that.
Employed, not contracted
Our practitioners are employees with supervision and a progression path from Core to Specialist. Average tenure is 2.85 years, so the person who assesses the participant is usually still here when the plan review comes around.
Reviewed before it goes out
Where restrictive practices are identified, a senior practitioner or supervisor must review and approve the assessment against NDIS guidelines. An in-house compliance team audits our practice against the Practice Standards and Behaviour Support Rules.
Written for this participant, not assembled from a previous one. Generic content is exactly what our internal quality review looks for, and our in-house AI committee sets what technology may and may not be used in clinical work. A document written to persuade a planner has to be specific, or it will not do its job. Read the Commission's practice guide.
FAQ
Behaviour Support Assessment questions, answered straight
Does a BSA include strategies for managing behaviours of concern?
No. A BSA provides an assessment and recommendations for ongoing support. It does not include specific strategies or interventions, because that is the work of a Behaviour Support Plan. If you need strategies now, a BSA is not the document you are after and we will tell you that up front.
Is a BSA required to access PBS services?
Not always. Where behaviour support funding is already in the plan, you can go straight to ongoing PBS. But when a participant has behaviours of concern and no PBS funding, a BSA is usually the most practical starting point, and it becomes particularly important where restrictive practices are in place.
How is a BSA funded if there is no behaviour support funding in the plan?
Under the line item Assessment, Recommendation, Therapy or Training, Other Professional (15_056_0128_1_3). That line sits outside Improved Relationships, which is what makes a BSA reachable when behaviour support funding is not in the plan. We confirm the funding line before any work begins.
What assessments are included?
It varies by participant. Common tools include the AQoL, the WHODAS, risk assessments and sensory screenings. The practitioner only conducts assessments relevant to the individual, and there is no standard checklist applied to everyone.
Who reviews and approves the BSA?
Where restrictive practices are identified, a senior Behaviour Support Practitioner or supervisor must review and approve the assessment to confirm it meets NDIS guidelines before it is issued.
Can a BSA be used to request a plan review?
Yes. Where the assessment identifies an immediate need for a higher level of support, it can be accompanied by a funding request letter to the NDIS. Many families use a BSA to support a change of circumstances review rather than waiting for the scheduled plan review date.
What if the participant is under 9?
The line item can only be billed by practitioners holding specific qualifications, so there may be additional wait time, or the assessment may need to be delivered by telehealth. It genuinely varies case by case. Ask us and we will check against current availability in your area.
How long does it take?
Generally a few weeks from the point information gathering begins, depending on complexity and how quickly the relevant people can be reached. Wait time before allocation depends on your region and is published publicly.
What happens if funding is approved after the BSA?
The assessment becomes the foundation for a full Behaviour Support Plan: the function of the behaviour is already understood and the complexity is already scored, so the plan work starts from evidence rather than from scratch. You are not obliged to continue with us, and we will hand the assessment over to another provider if that is what suits you.
More questions about how we work are answered in our full FAQ.
Get started with a BSA
If you are supporting someone with behaviours of concern and you are not sure what the options are, we are happy to have that conversation. No obligation, just a straight answer about what is likely to be the right fit.
Talk it through first
Call 1300 824 930 or email hello@insightpbs.com.au and we will work out whether a BSA, a full plan, or neither is what the situation calls for.
Contact usRequest a BSA
Submit a capacity request and we will confirm the funding line, eligibility and expected timeframe before anything begins.
Request a BSA todayThis takes you to our capacity request form. Please indicate on the form that you are requesting a Behaviour Support Assessment.