Walking into an NDIS planning meeting can feel overwhelming, particularly when behaviour support is one of your key priorities. The language can be unfamiliar. The categories and line items are not always self-explanatory. And it can be difficult to know exactly what to ask for, or how to describe what your family needs in a way that is likely to be understood and funded.
This guide is designed to change that. By the time you finish reading, you will have a clear picture of where behaviour support fits within an NDIS plan, what language to use, what documentation to bring, and how to advocate confidently for the support your loved one genuinely needs.
Knowledge is one of the most powerful tools you have in a planning meeting. Let’s make sure you walk in prepared.
Where Behaviour Support Is Funded in an NDIS Plan
Behaviour support is funded under the Capacity Building budget, within the support category called Improved Relationships. This is separate from your Core Supports funding, which covers everyday support workers and activities.
Capacity Building funding is designed for supports that help participants develop skills and improve their long-term independence and quality of life. Behaviour support fits squarely within this intent because it aims to build emotional regulation, communication, and coping skills that reduce the need for intensive support over time.
When advocating for behaviour support funding, it helps to frame it in these terms: not just as a response to current challenges, but as an investment in your loved one’s long-term capacity and wellbeing.
What Behaviour Support Funding Can Cover
Under Improved Relationships, your NDIS plan can fund a range of activities delivered by a registered Behaviour Support Practitioner. These include:
- Functional Behaviour Assessments to understand the drivers of behaviour
- Development and writing of a Behaviour Support Plan
- Implementation support and coaching during the early stages of a new plan
- Training for family members, support workers, and other carers
- Ongoing monitoring, review, and updating of the plan as needs change
- Reporting and documentation, including restrictive practice reporting to the NDIS Commission
- Collaboration with other members of the participant’s support team, including allied health professionals and support coordinators
It is worth noting that the amount of funding allocated will depend on the complexity of the participant’s needs and the level of support required. Being specific about these needs during your planning meeting helps ensure the funding is proportionate.
How to Describe the Need for Behaviour Support
One of the most common reasons families do not receive adequate behaviour support funding is that they describe the situation in general terms rather than specific ones. Planners and Local Area Coordinators need concrete information to understand the impact of behaviours on daily functioning and safety.
When preparing for your planning meeting, consider the following framework.
Describe the Behaviours in Specific Terms
Rather than saying your loved one has challenging behaviours, describe what those behaviours actually look like. What does the individual do? How often does it happen? How long does it typically last? Does it pose a risk to the participant, others, or property?
For example: he becomes aggressive approximately four to five times per week, usually during transitions between activities. Episodes can last up to thirty minutes and have resulted in injury to support workers on two occasions in the past three months, with one being bruised.
This level of detail paints a picture that vague language cannot.
Describe the Impact on Daily Life
Planners need to understand how the behaviours affect the individual’s ability to participate in daily activities, engage with their supports, attend school or a day program, or live safely at home. Be specific about what the participant struggles with, cannot do, or what has had to be restricted because of their behaviour.
Describe the Impact on the Family and Support Network
Carer stress and burnout are real factors in the NDIS planning process. If managing the participant’s behaviour is affecting your own health, your work, your relationships, or your ability to support other family members, say so. This context matters.
Connect the Behaviour to the Participant’s Disability
The NDIS will fund behaviour support when it is directly related to the participant’s disability. Be clear about how the behaviours you are describing are connected to the participant’s diagnosis or condition. Your behaviour support practitioner or GP can help you document this connection if needed.
Useful Language for Your Planning Meeting
Having the right language makes a real difference. Here are some phrases and framings that can help you communicate your needs effectively.
- “We are seeking funding under Capacity Building, Improved Relationships, for Positive Behaviour Support.”
- “My son/daughter has behaviours with risks of harm that are impacting their daily functioning and safety.”
- “We need a Functional Behaviour Assessment and Behaviour Support Plan developed by a registered practitioner.”
- “The behaviours are currently preventing participation in [school, community activities, therapy].”
- “We need training and coaching support for our family and support workers to implement strategies consistently.”
- “We are requesting funding for ongoing monitoring and plan reviews as needs change.”
You do not need to memorise these exactly. The goal is simply to communicate clearly, specifically, and in terms that connect the need to the NDIS’s own language and intent.
Documentation That Supports Your Request
Coming to your planning meeting with supporting documentation strengthens your case significantly. Consider bringing:
- A letter or report from your current behaviour support practitioner outlining the participant’s needs and recommending continued or increased funding
- Medical or allied health reports that document the participant’s diagnosis and related challenges
- School reports or letters from teachers or day program staff that describe the impact of behaviour in those settings
- A written summary of behaviours you have observed at home, including frequency, triggers, and impact
- Any incident reports or records of behaviours that have caused injury or required intervention
- Your current behaviour support plan, if you have one, along with notes on what has been working and what has not
If you do not have a behaviour support practitioner yet, speaking with one before your planning meeting can help you understand what to request and how to frame it. Many practitioners are happy to provide a brief consultation to help families prepare.
If Behaviour Support Was Not Included in Your Previous Plan
If you are approaching a plan review and behaviour support was not funded in your previous plan, you can request that it be added. You will need to demonstrate that:
- Behaviours with risks of harm are present and impacting the participant’s daily functioning
- The support is directly related to the participant’s disability
- The support meets the NDIS criteria for being reasonable and necessary
A letter of support from a GP, paediatrician, or allied health professional, combined with your own written description of the behaviours and their impact, can be very effective in supporting this request.
After the Meeting: What to Do if Funding Is Not Approved
If behaviour support funding is not included in your plan, or if the amount approved does not reflect your needs, you have the right to request a review of the decision. This is called an internal review and is a formal process through which the NDIS reconsiders its decision.
Gathering additional evidence from health professionals and behaviour support practitioners, and presenting a clear case for why the support is reasonable and necessary, can significantly improve outcomes in a review.
You do not have to navigate this alone. Support coordinators, advocates, and behaviour support providers can all help you through this process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a diagnosis to access behaviour support funding?
You need an NDIS plan, which already requires evidence of a disability. Within that plan, behaviour support is funded based on the presence of behaviours with risks of harm and their impact on daily functioning, not on a specific additional diagnosis.
Can behaviour support funding be increased between plan reviews?
If your circumstances change significantly and the current funding is insufficient, you can request an unscheduled plan review. This is separate from the annual review and can be initiated when there is a material change in situation.
What if I am not sure how much funding to ask for?
Speaking with a registered behaviour support provider before your planning meeting is the best way to understand what level of support is likely to be needed. They can provide guidance on realistic funding amounts based on your loved one’s needs.
You Have the Right to Ask
Advocating for behaviour support funding is not asking for more than your fair share. It is asking for support that has a strong evidence base, that produces meaningful outcomes, and that the NDIS specifically exists to fund.
Families who are prepared, specific, and confident in their planning meetings consistently achieve better outcomes. You deserve to be one of them.
At Liberty Behavioural Services, we support families to navigate the NDIS planning process, understand their entitlements, and access the behaviour support they need. If you are preparing for a planning meeting or want to understand more about what to request, we are here to help.
Contact Liberty Behavioural Services today to speak with our team.
