Advocacy & Rights
Families rate NDIS behaviour support low on plan delivery, fade-out
Advocacy & Rights
Families rate NDIS behaviour support low on plan delivery, fade-out
Disability Support Guide · 8 min read · 20 hours ago
Original source
Summarised by Stellar
Key points5 points
- Only 32 per cent of informal supporters rated their confidence in a practitioner's knowledge and skills as moderate, with many rating it lower.
- Day-to-day implementation of behaviour support plans drew the lowest ratings, with 1 out of 5 the most common score.
- More than half of families rated practitioners' skill at developing restrictive practice fade-out plans as low.
- Families often cannot access information on a practitioner's qualifications, experience or approach before committing, making formal choice hollow.
- Limited local availability and long waitlists, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas, remain a major barrier to meaningful choice.
Summary
A national survey of 123 informal supporters, funded by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, found families value empathetic, plain-language behaviour support practitioners but lack the information to judge their qualifications and approach. Confidence was lowest on involving participants in goal-setting, reflecting their preferences, supporting day-to-day implementation, and fading out restrictive practices. Families reported long waitlists, especially in regional and remote areas, and some spent tens of thousands of dollars without a completed plan. Researchers recommend greater transparency, pre-engagement meetings, and stronger workforce quality assurance.