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Forensic Behaviour Support
Forensic Behaviour Support is for people with disability who are involved with, or at risk of involvement with, the criminal justice system. It uses function-based assessment to understand behaviour and build skills, with restrictive practices kept to a last resort. We assess each referral individually before starting.
When a person with disability has contact with the justice system, the people around them are often stretched thin and unsure where to turn: a Support Coordinator trying to find a provider who will take the referral, a family worried about what happens next.
Behaviour Support starts with the same question here as anywhere else: what is this behaviour for, and what does the person need instead? The focus stays on the person and their goals, not on labels.
Family members and carers
For Support Coordinators, plan managers, justice and health workers
Our Behaviour Support team works with people with disability whose behaviour has brought them into contact with the justice system, and with the guardians and support teams around them. We deliver forensic Behaviour Support across NSW and Tasmania, in the settings where each person lives and spends their time.
How do I fund forensic Behaviour Support?
Forensic Behaviour Support at Optimum Health Solutions is usually funded through the NDIS.
NDIS participants fund it from Capacity Building. Newer PACE plans list it as Behaviour Support, and older plans list it as Improved Relationships.
Private sessions are available too, with no referral needed, and you will get a clear picture of the costs before you book.
If it is not in the plan yet, your support coordinator can ask for it at the next plan review.
If you are not sure which funding applies to you, call us on 1800 678 647 or email hello@opt.net.au. We will sort it out before your first appointment.
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About forensic behaviour support
01
What forensic behaviour support is
Forensic behaviour support is for people with disability whose behaviour has led, or could lead, to contact with the justice system. That can mean courts, police, corrections, forensic mental health services, or the conditions of a bail or court order. It is not a form of punishment or containment. It is a function-based, rights-respecting approach. The work is to understand why a behaviour is happening, then change the conditions around it, build skills, and reduce the need for restrictive practices. The Australian practice frameworks our team works within place this firmly in a human-rights and quality-of-life setting, not a punitive one.
02
Who it is for
We work with people with disability, including intellectual disability and autism, who are involved with the justice system or at risk of it. People with disability, particularly intellectual disability, are over-represented in the justice system in Australia, often because the disability went unrecognised and the right support wasn’t in place earlier.
Forensic behaviour support is one part of changing that. Behind every referral is a person with a history, a family, and goals of their own. Our work keeps them at the centre, alongside the practical realities of their legal situation.
03
How we assess each referral
We don’t take every forensic referral, and we say that plainly. This work is done by some of our practitioners, not all, and it’s assessed case by case. Before we begin, we complete a risk assessment.
We work with the person, their support team, and the relevant justice or health agencies to understand the situation and to decide whether forensic behaviour support is the right fit and whether we can provide it safely and well. If we’re not the right service, we’ll say so and help point towards one that is. This step protects the person and makes sure any support we offer is something we can genuinely deliver.
04
Functional behaviour assessment
We start by understanding the behaviour: what happens before, during, and after it, across settings and over time.
We talk with the person and the people who know them. That shows us what the behaviour is for, which is where any useful plan begins.
Then we work on safer ways to meet the same need, and we adjust the conditions that set the behaviour off.
05
Reducing reliance on restrictive practices.
Restrictive practices such as physical, chemical, mechanical, or environmental restraint and seclusion are regulated by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission as a genuine last resort.
Where they are in place, our plans set out a clear path to reduce and, over time, remove them.
06
Supporting the requirements the person is living with
When a person has a court order, bail conditions, or supervision requirements, we work with them to understand what’s being asked of them.
We then work with them to build the skills they require to meet their needs and educate their support network on how to help them at a realistic pace.
How Behaviour Support works in a forensic context
Working with the justice system and other services.
Optimum Health Solutions purely provides behaviour support. We don’t offer courts, correctional, or legal services. We do not have association with forensic mental health units, and we don’t speak on behalf of them.
We do however, coordinate our part with the person’s Support Coordinator, legal representatives, health and housing providers, and the agencies overseeing their legal situation.
The NDIS’s Justice Liaison Officers can help line up supports for people in or leaving custody. Where a need falls outside what we provide, we can always refer onwards.
One team, many possible needs.
Sensory needs, communication, pain, mental health, and daily living skills can all be part of the picture.
Our Behaviour Support practitioners work alongside Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Physiotherapists, Exercise Physiologists, Podiatrists, Nurses, and Dietitians, so we can offer a full range of support for all.
The plan:
The behaviour support plan sets out what’s driving the behaviour, the skills and supports that help the person meet the requirements they’re living with, and how our part joins up with the other agencies involved.Where restrictive practices are in place, the plan includes a clear path to reduce them over time.
Behaviour support through the NDIS
NDIS. Behaviour Support is funded under Capacity Building. In newer NDIS (PACE) plans it sits in a dedicated Behaviour Support budget; older plans fund it under Improved Relationships. Forensic situations often involve other funded supports as well, such as support coordination, and your support coordinator or the NDIS can advise on the right line items for your plan. If behaviour support isn’t in your plan yet, it can be requested at your next plan review.
NDIS
Referrals
14 clinics across NSW & Tasmania
Email us
hello@opt.net.au
Speak to us
1800 678 647
Get in Touch.
Where we offer Behaviour Support
Common questions about forensic behaviour support
What is forensic behaviour support?
How is forensic behaviour support different from regular behaviour support?
Who is eligible for forensic behaviour support at Optimum Health Solutions?
Is forensic behaviour support funded by NDIS?
How does forensic behaviour support help with court orders or bail conditions?
What is the role of restrictive practices in forensic behaviour support?
How does Optimum Health Solutions work with the justice system and other services?
Reviewed by Rachel Hardcastle
OPTIMUM HEALTH SOLUTIONS
Rachel has worked in Behaviour Support for over 16 years, where her experience has included complex and forensic work. Rachel’s approach is entirely person-centred, meaning her practice starts and ends with the person, building support around them. Rachel works clinically and leads the development of the Behaviour Support team at Optimum Health Solutions, supporting practitioners to grow and do their best work with the people they see.
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