NDIS Capacity Building supports: Improved Relationships
Each week we've been looking at a different area of the Capacilty building supports budget. This week we're taking a look at the improved relationships category
Understanding "Improved Relationships" in an NDIS Plan
Improved Relationships falls under the Capacity Building budget category within an NDIS Plan. The core objective of this budget is to allocate funds for specialized assessments and support when individuals have complex or unclear behavioral needs. Essentially, it's designed to assist NDIS participants in enhancing their communication, behaviors, and interactions with those around them.
Improved Relationships encompasses two primary areas:
1. Specialist Behavioral Intervention Support: This covers specialized assessments and support for NDIS participants with complex or unclear behavioral needs. These behaviors may include persistent issues that hinder an individual's quality of life or pose risks to their physical safety.
2. Individual Social Skills Development: This aspect focuses on providing support to NDIS participants to develop social skills, enabling them to engage in community and social activities effectively.
When included in an NDIS Plan, Improved Relationships often details specific positive behavioral support or social skills strategies and suggests suitable supports. While it's frequently associated with NDIS Plans for children exhibiting challenging behaviors, it can apply to various situations.
The Range of Supports Covered by Improved Relationships
The types of supports covered within the Improved Relationships budget vary based on individual needs. However, they may include:
- Specialist behavior and intervention supports
- Training for caregivers in behavior management strategies
- Support for the development of social skills
- Intensive behavior intervention
Specialist Behavioral Intervention Support and the NDIS
Behavior support operates on a person-centered, evidence-based framework for addressing challenging behaviors and persistent issues of concern. The goal of a behavioral support plan is to enhance the individual's quality of life by outlining strategies to mitigate or eliminate problematic behaviors.
These strategies may encompass helping individuals cope with overwhelming emotions or extreme reactions, whether in the short term or over an extended period. It's important to note that certain practices or approaches may be restricted by the NDIS and require approval.
Under the NDIS, there are two types of behavioral support plans:
1. Interim Behavioral Support Plan: This plan focuses on reducing risks for the individual and those around them. It typically has a development timeframe of one month.
2. Comprehensive Behavior Support Plan: Developed in collaboration with the individual, their support network, and providers, this plan must include a functional behavioral assessment. It should also aim to reduce or eliminate restrictive practices. The practitioner must work with the provider to provide necessary training to staff or family members involved. The development timeframe for this plan is six months.
A behavioral support plan may detail:
- Methods to minimize triggers for specific behaviors
- Support that family members can offer to mitigate the behavior
- Assistance in developing alternative and socially appropriate communication skills
- Training requirements for staff or family members involved.
It's important to review each behavioral support plan every 12 months to ensure its effectiveness.
Who Can Create a Behavioral Support Plan?
In most cases, a behavioral support plan can only be developed by an NDIS-registered behavior support practitioner who is deemed suitably qualified and approved by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. These practitioners must also undergo a suitability assessment to ensure they meet NDIS requirements and can create plans in an NDIS-approved format. For further guidance, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission offers support through their dedicated behavioral support team.
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