About us

Keith McVilly, Professor of Disability and Inclusion
(The University of Melbourne; Melbourne, Victoria)

It's been quite alarming in the research that's been undertaken that's revealed maybe 60% to 65% of behaviour support plans have failed to provide any evidence of authentic engagement between behaviour support practitioners and people with disabilities.

What we want is for behaviour support practitioners to get people as involved as possible. Oftentimes this can be a bit of a challenge.

Teresa Micallef, Building Community Networks Manager
(Belonging Matters Inc.; Melbourne, Victoria)

Some of the key issues or barriers for true engagement are going to be not having a lot of time with a person and not having longevity of knowing a person.

Heather Lambert, Clinical Lead – Positive Behaviour Support
(Marathon Health; Albury, New South Wales)

Time constraints or time can be challenging in that sense, we have to fit in and we should fit in with their lives and how their lives work.

That can often require us to be working sometimes outside your typical kind of 9am to 5pm.

Danielle Quinlan, Clinical Consultant, Speech Pathologist
(SAL Consulting; Darwin, Northern Territory)

A fact of human nature is that there's going to be challenges engaging with people. I think we're all people, we've got busy lives, we've got things going on, so I think connecting with people and being flexible to working with them can be some of the main barriers.

Nandita Patel, Team Lead – Positive Behaviour Support
(Marathon Health; Albury, New South Wales)

They're busy working full time. They might have other children in the same household with NDIS.

Sarah Bingley, Core Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner
(Marathon Health; Albury, New South Wales)

They have so many other services involved, plus they have to then live their daily lives. And so then having this other person come in and ask really personal questions, ask all this background historical information, it can be really challenging and stressful.

Cherry Reynolds, Director / Senior Clinician
(Woollybutt Specialist Services; Darwin, Northern Territory)

Sometimes it's also the people with a disability not necessarily understanding the role of the practitioner, so being able to explain what it is, but also depending on their level of impairment.

It can be quite tricky sometimes to go, well, this is what I do, this is what we're trying to achieve when they have no idea what that means.

Doug Payne, Senior Clinical Consultant, Behaviour Support Practitioner
(SAL Consulting – Darwin, Northern Territory)

Our job is to sit with people and understand their perspective, the family and the client's perspective, even though they struggle to tell us their perspective.

If you're skilled and intuitive enough, you can get inside the person's head and you can understand from their perspective how they see the world.

Sarah Bingley

You’re asking some really personal questions and trying to find the real root cause of why this person with a disability is acting or behaving in the way that they are.

Doug Payne

We are mad scientists.

You form a hypothesis, you go and chat, you form a hypothesis. You find some information, you don't go looking for the information that supports your hypothesis, you go look for information, you go chatting with people.

And then the more you chat, the more information you collect, the more this idea coalesces around I think this is what's going on.

Keith McVilly

This project is really trying to get behaviour support practitioners to think about how they might do behaviour support with and not to people with disabilities.

Heather Lambert

When we're putting together a behaviour support plan wherever we possibly can, getting their input into it, it's not something being done to them but being done with them and ideally that they're doing themselves.

Teresa Micallef

They have needs and aspirations, to hear that is vital and to find ways to access that is the responsibility of the professional sitting on the other side of them.

Sarah Bingley

Taking the time to learn about your participant and about their life really helps to engage with them and then offer them a complete service.

Heather Lambert

They get the outcomes that they're actually seeking and that can be through having this relationship with their practitioner that actually allows them to be heard and feel seen and have all their information really represented in the way that suits them.

Doug Payne

My job is to tell that person’s story because they're not able to tell their story in terms of their behaviour.

I'm their voice. I'm their external hard drive when it comes to the history around their behaviour, their understanding.

I'm the continuity in that person's life.

I see behaviour support and funding for behaviour support as an opportunity to increase that person's quality of life.

Teresa Micallef

Any time a person with a disability is engaged with in a respectful manner that develops trust over time, then their sense of self and their capacity to live a good life is increased.

Closing credits (text presented on screen)

How will you use these ideas to improve engagement in your behaviour support practice?

Keith McVilly, Professor of Disability and Inclusion
(The University of Melbourne; Melbourne, Victoria)

Recent research shows that about 60 to 65% of behaviour support plans do not show real contact or involvement with people with disabilities.

The goal should be to involve people as much as possible, but this can sometimes be hard.

Teresa Micallef, Building Community Networks Manager
(Belonging Matters Inc.; Melbourne, Victoria)

Some of the main problems include not having enough time with a person and not knowing a person well enough.

Heather Lambert, Clinical Lead – Positive Behaviour Support
(Marathon Health; Albury, New South Wales)

Time can be a big issue because support needs to fit into the person’s life. This often means working outside normal hours.

Danielle Quinlan, Clinical Consultant, Speech Pathologist
(SAL Consulting; Darwin, Northern Territory)

It can be challenging to try to connect with people. Everyone is busy, so being flexible and willing to work around people’s lives is important.

Nandita Patel, Team Lead – Positive Behaviour Support
(Marathon Health; Albury, New South Wales)

Many families are already doing a lot working full time, looking after others, and using lots of services.

Sarah Bingley, Core Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner
(Marathon Health; Albury, New South Wales)

On top of that, being asked personal questions or to share their past can feel stressful or too much.

Cherry Reynolds, Director / Senior Clinician
(Woollybutt Specialist Services; Darwin, Northern Territory)

Sometimes the person with a disability may not understand what the behaviour support practitioner does. It can be hard to explain, especially if the person finds it difficult to understand or talk about things.

Doug Payne, Senior Clinical Consultant, Behaviour Support Practitioner
(SAL Consulting – Darwin, Northern Territory)

The practitioner’s job is to understand how the person and their family see things, even if they cannot explain it well. A good practitioner can notice how the person sees the world.

Sarah Bingley

This means asking questions to find out the real reason behind a person’s behaviour.

Doug Payne

We are mad scientists.

Practitioner’s often try to figure things out like scientists. They think of ideas, talk to people, find out more, and change their thinking as they learn. They do not just look for answers that prove their idea — they try to really understand what is going on.

Keith McVilly

This project is about helping Behaviour Support Practitioners think about how they can do behaviour support ‘with’ people with disabilities, not just ‘to’ them.

Heather Lambert

This means including the person in making their own plan and helping them take the lead where possible.

Teresa Micallef

It is important to listen to what the person wants and needs. The practitioner job is to find ways to hear this, even when it is not easy.

Sarah Bingley

Taking the time to learn about the person’s life helps build trust and leads to better support.

Heather Lambert

When people feel listened to and understood, they are more likely to get the help they want. A good connection with the practitioner helps the person feel seen and heard.

Doug Payne

In this way, the practitioner helps tell the person’s story — especially if the person cannot tell it themselves.

Teresa Micallef

Good support, based on respect and trust, helps people feel stronger, more confident, and live a better life.

Closing credits (text presented on screen)

How will you use these ideas to improve engagement in your behaviour support practice?