NDIS Capacity Building: Improved Relationships

Share this article

About Improved Relationships

The purpose of the Capacity Building Category in your NDIS plan is to help you become more independent, learn new skills, determine your future, and participate in your community. Funded activities and services must be directly related to your disability, determined to be reasonable and necessary, and connected to your NDIS plan goals. The NDIS Improved Relationships supports are for long-term and more immediate intensive interventions to address behaviours of concern and improve communication skills. The goal is to develop positive behaviour, encourage social interactions, and build a strong support system.

What Improved Relationships Supports Provide

NDIS Specialised Assessments
Behaviour, language, and communication assessments are used to better identify the supports needed to enable the individual to better participate in daily activities and improve their interaction with others. Potentially harmful or persistent behaviours of concern are detected and can be addressed in a positive support plan. This plan is then used as a framework to help diminish or eliminate challenging behaviours that stem from cognitive or intellectual disabilities.

It is important to understand the root cause of such behaviour by consulting with the patient, their family, caregivers, and other support systems. A behaviour of concern or challenging behaviour is an unpredictable and complex action that significantly impacts the individual’s learning, safety, or relationships. This can include verbal and physical aggression, impulsive actions, damaging property, and inflicting self-injury. Specialised assessments are used to develop evidence-based behavioural strategies to meet the specific needs of the individual, improve relationships, and enrich their life.

NDIS Specialist Behavioural Intervention
This area of NDIS Improved Relationships funding offers behavioural intervention to assist in the reduction of management of behaviours of concern. This includes services such as an anger management program or behavioural psychologist.

Highly specialized intensive interventions to address immediate and significantly harmful or persistent behaviours of concern.
Includes the development of a behaviour support plan necessary to reduce the risk of harm to themselves or other people.
May temporarily use restrictive practices, with the goal of reducing or eliminating the use of these interventions. Restrictive interventions may include physical restraint, mechanical restraint, chemical restraint, environmental access restraint, or seclusion.

NDIS Behaviour Management
This area of NDIS Improved Relationships funding will cover the cost of developing a behaviour support plan and behaviour management training for caregivers and families. These are the strategies needed to safely reduce or eliminate behaviours of concern, due to the individual’s disability. A behavioural support plan is a written plan to address inappropriate behaviour, outline the strategies that will be used to improve the specific behaviour and assist in building positive behaviours. This plan may include improved communication, expanding relationships, use of clinical interventions, and teaching strategies of the plan to others that interact with the individual on a regular basis.

Clearly defines the behaviours of concern and patterns of challenging behaviour
Identifies the triggers of each of the behaviours
Creates an effective plan of strategies to reduce or eliminate these triggers
Trains caregivers, families, teachers, and other support people in safe and effective strategies to eliminate and reduce the behaviours of concern
Assists in building positive behaviour patterns to replace or diminish challenging or dangerous behaviours

NDIS Social Skills Development
This area of NDIS Improved Relationships funding will assist the individual in the development of their social skills. The goal of this support area is to assist the individual in learning and practicing their social relationship skills to encourage and improve participation in community and social activities. Improving relationships means being aware of how we communicate with others. Social skills development is about learning how to do that more effectively to increase their inclusion, social participation, and independence.

Use of verbal and nonverbal communication, including the use of words, body language, facial expression, eye contact, and spatial boundaries
Teaching the six necessary social skills of effective communication, active listening, empathy, conflict resolution, respect, and relationship building
Individual, group, and online learning opportunities for social skills
Assistance to engage in group community, social and recreational activities
Learning time management skills

NDIS Activity-Based Transport
This area of NDIS Improved Relationships funding will pay for travel costs incurred by the individual while participating in activities related to their NDIS Improved Relationships goals. It covers transportation needs to attend community and other activities.

Types Of Therapeutic Support With NDIS Improved Relationships

Therapeutic Supports
One-on-one or group support sessions help to develop healthier relationships and improve wellbeing. Whether having feelings of anxiousness, depression, anger, confusion, or being overwhelmed, therapeutic support can help identify coping strategies and capabilities.

Behaviour Management Strategies
A behaviour management plan provides a strategy so you can learn to positively manage your behaviour and emotions in a controlled and positive manner.

Behaviour Supports
One-on-one access to a behavioural therapist ensures you will get the support you need. Your behavioural specialist will sit down and talk with you, your caregivers, family members, and service providers to identify unwanted or distressing behaviour and work together to create a plan to help manage these feelings in a positive way.

Social & Peer Support
Peer support groups can be a very effective form of therapy. Support comes from your peers or those who have lived through a similar experience. These types of support groups make you feel supported by your peers in a friendly, social, and safe environment. You can share your experiences and challenges with others that understand.

How You Can Help Develop Your Child’s Social Skills

Children with disabilities often lack the social skills of their peers, especially those with developmental delays or intellectual disabilities. More than 70% of Australian children live with some type of disability, making life much more difficult. Social skills are often less developed than other children their age. People can be quick to make assumptions about their ability to participate in groups and exclude these children from social, community, and recreational activities. Your NDIS Improved Relationships supports can help, but you can too. Here are five ways you can assist your child in learning essential social skills and improving relationships.

1. Teach the importance of body language
Body language is an important part of nonverbal communication and successful interaction with others. This includes eye contact, facial expressions, keeping an open and non-threatening posture, and the use of appropriate gestures. Set a good example by using proper body language yourself. Identify other people using good body language. Practice at home by role-playing different situations your child may encounter.

2. Practice conversation
Making conversation may be especially challenging for children with developmental delays or intellectual disabilities. You can help them improve their conversation skills. Make good eye contact and make sure you have their attention before you start talking. Use simple words and short sentences. Ask questions that require more than one-word answers. Give them extra time to think before they respond and don’t rush to talk during pauses. Show you are listening by repeating back what they have said. Encourage questions. Avoid correcting them while speaking or getting frustrated if they are struggling during the conversation—this will only discourage them to continue or try again. Find common interests to make the conversation more fun. Take turns talking and listening so they learn how to balance a conversation with others. Be patient and end on a positive note. Let them know they did a good job to encourage future attempts at conversation.

3. Create a positive place for social interaction
It is important to provide a place to promote socialization to practice and improve social skills. Generate opportunities for social interaction. Encourage eye contact and communication using games and activities with others. Coach in following social rules and norms and give behaviour prompts as needed. Be a good role model and keep social interactions positive and pleasant.

4. Encourage socialisation
Parents, family, caregivers, and teachers play a vital role in learning and improving social skills. Encourage social interaction at any appropriate opportunity. Arrange play dates with other children. Attend social events and activities for children with disabilities. Meet other children facing similar challenges. Join a group or therapy program teaching social skills. This will provide additional structured opportunities to practice and improve specific social skills.

5. Provide role models
Emulating others is a natural and effective way for children to learn. Provide good role models in social skills and behaviour for them to watch and interact with. Include children both with and without disabilities in social activities. Provide opportunities to interact with adults that use positive social skills and behaviour. Watch movies, television shows, and social media that feature or include individuals with disabilities. Use books, games, and other activities to teach and practice social skills.

Share this article