This process is part of the national implementation program for assessment of behaviour support practitioners (practitioners) against the Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Capability Framework. Under the NDIS (Behaviour Support and Restrictive Practices) Rules 2018, specialist behaviour support services are to be provided by an NDIS behaviour support practitioner who the NDIS Commissioner has considered suitable.
You will need to complete an assessment and submit an application form to the NDIS Commission to be considered suitable (National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS Behaviour Support Practitioner Application) Guidelines 2020). We will assess whether you are suitable to undertake behaviour support assessments (including functional behaviour assessments) and to develop behaviour support plans.
The practitioner suitability assessment applies to all practitioners, regardless of whether the practitioner is developing behaviour support plans that include regulated restrictive practices.
The practitioners that participated in the pilot project reported that it took approximately 3-5 hours to complete the process. The time required will depend on your level of experience, capabilities, existing documents (e.g., CV, certified qualifications), the number of work practice examples that you have available, and how often you meet with your supervisor.
The process for application is
- Review the documents and reflect on your capabilities in the PBS Capability Framework.
- Complete the self-assessment, collect your portfolio of evidence and prepare the required documents (in Word or PDF formats only).
- Speak with your supervisor to obtain written endorsement and consent to be contacted.
- Fill out the practitioner suitability application form, attach the required documents and submit the application.
The documents that need to be submitted with the application form include:
- A resume or CV that outlines your behaviour support experience (required);
- Certified copies of qualifications relevant to behaviour support (if applicable); and
- Completed assessment documents, including self-assessment tool(s), supervisor endorsement, and supervisor consent to be contacted by the NDIS Commission.
You should submit the following assessment documents with your application:
- A written self-assessment as described in the Self-assessment Resource Guide for the Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework (see the self-assessment tools in the guide and on the website).
- A written endorsement of your self-assessment by a supervisor as described in the guide (see the Endorsement Tool).
- Written consent to be contacted by the NDIS Commission from the person who completed the Endorsement Tool, and the person with whom you have a supervision agreement (see the Endorsement Tool).
If you are not able to submit one or more of the assessment documents above with your application, you should:
- state this in the application form and provide the reason/s why.
- submit alternative documents as evidence demonstrating your capabilities in relation to the Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework (contact ndispractitioners@ndiscommission.gov.au) for more information).
No, you do not need to submit the portfolio of evidence to the NDIS Commission. The purpose of the portfolio is to assist your supervisor to complete the Endorsement Tool for the self-assessment.
The NDIS Commission may request examples from your portfolio if additional information is required in the assessment process to determine your suitability. You will be contacted if this is required.
Yes. The capability levels build on each other, with the self-assessment process starting at a CORE practitioner level.
If you have self-assessed at a Proficient level, you must also self-assess as Capability met for each knowledge and skill capability item in the Core practitioner level.
If you have self-assessed at an Advanced or Specialist practitioner level, you must have also self-assessed Capability met for each knowledge and skill capability item at the Core and Proficient practitioner levels.
You must provide evidence of this self-assessment to the NDIS Commission as part of your application.
Further information on this is available on page 9 of the Self-assessment Resource Guide.
The Self-assessment Resource Guide (page 7) defines who can supervise an NDIS behaviour support practitioner. A supervisor may be a peer who is a behaviour support practitioner, manager or other professional depending on the practitioner’s professional needs. The supervisor does not need to be employed by the same organisation as you.
Your supervisor does not need to have completed a practitioner suitability assessment prior to using the Endorsement Tool for your self-assessment. All practitioners and their supervisors in New South Wales and South Australia are completing this process at the same time, as will those in other states and territories when they commence.
We recommend that direct professional supervision should be provided by a supervisor with a higher level of skill or knowledge than the practitioner. For example, a core level behaviour support practitioner should engage in direct professional supervision from a supervisor who is a proficient level behaviour support practitioner or above (as defined in the PBS Capability Framework).
If the supervisor is assisting the practitioner with functional behaviour assessments or writing behaviour support plans, or otherwise reviewing or endorsing these, then they need to be engaged by a registered provider and be considered suitable as an NDIS Behaviour Support Practitioner by the NDIS Commissioner.
If a supervisor of behaviour support is not directly reviewing or endorsing behaviour assessments or behaviour support plans, it is not required however we strongly recommended they complete a self-assessment against the PBS Capability Framework as part of their personal and organisational professional development. This will enable them to adequately meet the NDIS Practice Standards (where relevant) and to support their practitioners. The Self-assessment resource guide provides additional guidance on supervision methods and mode, which can be used to meet the practitioner supervision requirements (see page 43).
The NDIS (Quality Indicators) Guidelines 2018 indicate that NDIS behaviour support practitioners should receive clinical supervision. The Self-assessment Resource Guide for the PBS Capability Framework includes tools to assist with the supervisory requirements. There are a number of options for supervision outlined in the Self-Assessment Resource Guide for the PBS Capability Framework (see the definitions on page 7, and section 3.11).
The NDIS Commission does not have a list of behaviour support practitioners who provide supervision. We will however develop a list of practitioners who are considered suitable once they have completed the practitioner suitability assessment against the PBS Capability Framework. This list will include practitioner’s contact details and location, but not their practitioner level or whether they can provide supervision to others.
There are a number of options for supervision outlined in the Self-Assessment Resources Guide for the PBS Capability Framework (see the definitions on page 7, and section 3.11).
NDIS registered specialist behaviour support providers and NDIS behaviour support practitioners who have a provisionally suitable status in States and Territories are contacted by email when it is time to commence the practitioner suitability assessment and application process. The email contains links to information on the NDIS Commission website about the national implementation program and schedule, updated resources to assist behaviour support practitioners with this process, and a web link to the application form.
Practitioners have 12 weeks to complete the assessment and application process. Consultation with registered NDIS providers showed that this was an adequate amount of time to complete the process. No extensions to the submission due date can be granted to a practitioner unless they can demonstrate that there are extenuating circumstances, such as extended leave, parental leave, or ill-health.
Please note:
- The portfolio of evidence is not required to be sent to the NDIS Commission. The application form should be submitted with a resume or CV, certified copies of qualifications (if applicable), and written assessment documents.
- If you do not submit an application by the end of the timeframe for your primary jurisdiction, your ‘provisional suitability’ status will be withdrawn.
- You will no longer be considered suitable as an NDIS behaviour support practitioner and you will not be able to deliver any behaviour support services to NDIS participants until your application for a suitability assessment is submitted and you have been determined as suitable by the NDIS Commissioner.
It is the responsibility of NDIS registered providers to ensure that practitioners who are currently on parental or other long-term leave submit their assessment and application to the NDIS Commission within 6 weeks of returning from leave. Providers should contact the NDIS Commission if you have further questions about this by emailing ndispractitioners@ndiscommission.gov.au
NDIS behaviour support practitioners should submit an application to us before the end of the timeframe in their state or territory stated in the notification letter or on the website
If you do not, you will no longer be considered suitable as an NDIS behaviour support practitioner and you will not be able to deliver any behaviour support services to NDIS participants until your application for a suitability assessment is submitted and you have been determined as suitable by the NDIS Commissioner.
Currently, new behaviour support practitioners are considered provisionally suitable on the basis of information collected in a Notification of Behaviour Support Practitioners (s29) form submitted to the NDIS Commission. This is an interim arrangement until a practitioner suitability assessment is completed against the PBS Capability Framework.
The s29 form will be available for a limited time. In New South Wales and South Australia, provisionally suitable practitioners will be contacted two to four weeks after their s29 form has been processed to commence the suitability assessment process. They will have 12 weeks from the date of the notification email to submit their application.
After these special arrangements have finished, new behaviour support practitioners will need to complete the practitioner suitability assessment and make an application to the NDIS Commission to be considered suitable.
The s29 form is part of the special arrangements under the NDIS (Restrictive Practices and Behaviour Support) Rules 2018 - see sections 29(2) and 29(3). The NDIS Commissioner extended section 29 arrangements until the Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Capability Framework was implemented.
The interim arrangement of provisional suitability obtained through the submission of the s29 notification form will continue to be available for a limited time, but will be replaced by the practitioner suitability assessment with the national implementation program for the PBS Capability Framework that commenced in January 2021.
The PBS Capability Framework addresses the issue of entry level practitioners (see page 9). As part of your organisation’s induction process for new practitioners, you should develop a continuing professional development plan and supervision agreement that includes strategies for how the capabilities across the seven domains in the PBS Capability Framework will be developed or met.
Review of the framework and the self-assessment tool for core level practitioners may find that new practitioners already have capabilities from their previous experience that can be included as sources of evidence for their portfolio. Core level practitioners can be developing their capabilities across the framework and be considered suitable under supervision (see Section 2, table 3 on page 9 of the Self-assessment Resource Guide for the PBS Capability Framework).
NDIS behaviour support practitioners who have a provisionally suitable status must wait until the national implementation program has commenced in their primary jurisdiction. The implementation schedule is on the NDIS Commission website.
If you are a new NDIS behaviour support practitioner in New South Wales and South Australia who received their NDIS practitioner number after January 2021, you will be sent an email two to four weeks after your s29 form has been processed with a different 12-week timeframe for submission of your application. Please note this only applies to those who are new to behaviour support, not those informing the NDIS Commission of new contact details or changes in providers.
For NDIS behaviour support practitioners in other jurisdictions, you should review the PBS Capability Framework (2019), the Self-Assessment Resource Guide for the PBS Capability Framework (2020), and the NDIS (NDIS Behaviour Support Practitioner Application) Guidelines 2020. You should also start preparing for the practitioner suitability assessment and application process, and commence collecting work practice examples for your portfolio of evidence.
After July 2021, practitioners who have completed their application in the new NDIS Commission Applications Portal will gain access to a practitioner profile in the NDIS Commission Provider Portal. This is where practitioners can update their contact details, make changes to engagement with providers, and apply for progression in the practitioner levels. This can be done by using the self-assessment tools at higher practitioner levels
If you received your NDIS practitioner number after the commencement of the national implementation program in your state or territory you will be sent an email two to four weeks after your s29 form has been processed with an extended 12-week timeframe for submission of your application.
Please note this only applies to those who are new to behaviour to support, not those informing the NDIS Commission of new contact details or changes in providers.