Positive Behaviour Intervention and Supports (PBIS) is a framework for defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate social and academic behaviour in the school setting. This framework is widely implemented across the world, including Australia. Studies evaluating the effectiveness of PBIS confirm a relationship between implementation fidelity…

A need for the successful and sustained implementation of positive and proactive approaches to behaviour support has been widely acknowledged in Australia. School-wide positive behavioural interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is one approach that has been increasingly adopted across Australia to meet the social and behavioural needs of all…

Purpose: To examine current practices and recommendations regarding clinical supervision from the perspective of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) practitioners in Australia. Methods: A qualitative study design consisting of semi-structured interviews with 14 PBS practitioners. Results: Positive supervision experiences revealed the importance of…

Background: Few studies have considered policies which underpin the promotion of positive behaviour support (PBS). The present study examined policy beliefs about PBS and their relationship to restrictive practices. Methods: Discourse network analysis (a combination of critical discourse analysis and social network analysis) was used. Results: A…

A restrictive practice (RP) is defined as a practice or intervention that has the effect of restricting the rights or freedom of movement of a person, and includes physical, mechanical, and chemical restraint, and seclusion. If misused or overused, RPs may present serious human rights infringements. In Australia, behaviour support practitioners…

Background: Little is known about networks for positive behaviour support (PBS) in disability services. This study explores a PBS network to identify influential persons in its promotion and communication. Methods: Quantitative sociometric methods were used to identify persons who occupy positions of either boundary spanning (those that link…

Naomi Stockley, Rianna Tatana, Roshni Kaur, and Alice Reynolds offer some early insights into the implementation of Sounds-Write at The Pavilion School, a specialist provision in the northern suburbs of Melbourne for vulnerable students who have been excluded from mainstream education and face significant personal challenges. [For the complete…

Providing behavioural support to all students is increasingly recognised as an integral part of teaching and learning in schools throughout the world. This small-scale, qualitative study reports on the perceived challenges faced by staff in implementing school-wide behavioural support at two remote Indigenous primary schools in Queensland,…

Positive and proactive approaches to behaviour support have been recognised as one component required to create effective and inclusive school environments (Finkelstein et al., 2019). States and territories within Australia have increasingly adopted schoolwide positive behavioural interventions and supports (SWPBIS) as a means to creating…

Policies exist to regulate the use of restraint and seclusion so that they are only implemented when necessary and following appropriate standards and procedures. These policies often focus on students with disability. This qualitative study explored school leaders' understanding, use and perspectives of the Restraint and Seclusion Policy mandated…

It is the purpose of this study to determine the extent to which the implementation of the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) model and its focus on data-driven behaviour management has impacted on exclusion rates in Queensland public schools and, as such, the commitment of Queensland public schools to reintegration of students with behavioural…

Positive Behaviour Support is an applied behaviour analytic system of support that is utilised in schools and in residential care settings for children and adults with disabilities who engage in challenging behaviour. Implementation fidelity depends on appropriate staff training and organisational behaviour management. A systematic literature…

Exposure to adverse and traumatic events in childhood has been found to lead to poorer academic and social-emotional outcomes in school settings. The psychological impact of exposure to such events, referred to as childhood trauma, has been identified as a key driver of these educational difficulties. First Nations students have been found to…

Across Australia, almost one third of schools have been trained to implement school-wide positive behaviour support (SWPBS). As part of a Tier 1 approach, students are expected to demonstrate expected behaviours. By defining these behaviours in conjunction with students and families, and explicitly teaching these to students, schools implementing…

Students exhibiting behaviours of concern are at increased risk of poor outcomes during their school years. The implementation of school-wide positive behavioural interventions and supports (SWPBIS) has repeatedly been shown to be an effective, evidence-based approach that supports teachers to select and adopt effective practices to meet the…