
  • Staff
  • Students
  • Library
Flinders University Logo Flinders University Logo
  • Study

    Study areas

    • Business
    • Computer science and information technology
    • Creative arts and media
    • Criminology
    • Defence and national security
    • Education
    • Engineering
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Humanities and social sciences
    • Innovation and enterprise
    • International relations and political science
    • Languages and culture
    • Law
    • Medicine
    • Nursing and midwifery
    • Psychology
    • Science
    • Social work
    • Sport

    I am...

    • a high school student
    • a non-school leaver
    • a future honours student
    • a future postgraduate student
    • a future research student
    • a future online student
    • a future Indigenous student
    • an international student
    • a parent
    • a school counsellor/teacher
    Explore
    Admission pathways
    Apply
    Contact us
  • Study

    Study areas

    • Business
    • Creative arts
    • Education
    • Engineering
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Health sciences
    • Humanities
    • Information technology
    • Law
    • Medicine
    • Nursing
    • Psychology
    • Public health
    • Science
    • Social sciences
    • Social work

    International websites

    • China
    • Vietnam
    Explore Flinders
    Apply
    Contact us
  • Research

    Research areas

    • Engineering and technology
    • Health and medical
    • People and society
    • Science, environment and natural resources
    • Emerging research - Defence

    Fearless Research

    • Research Changing Lives

    I am...

    • a potential collaborator
    • a researcher
    • a potential research student
    • a current research student
    Research impact
    Institutes and centres
    Partner with us
    Participate
  • Research

    Research areas

    • Engineering and technology
    • Health and medical
    • People and society
    • Science, environment and natural resources
    • Emerging research - Defence

    Fearless Research

    • Research Changing Lives

    I am...

    • a potential collaborator
    • a researcher
    • a potential research student
    • a current research student
    Research impact
    Institutes and centres
    Partner with us
    Participate
  • Engage

    I want to...

    • Engage with us
    • Connect with students
    • Locate a clinic
    • Book a campus venue
    • Find a tender
    • Give to Flinders
    • Work at Flinders
    • Participate in a research study
    • See what's on
    • Shop Flinders merchandise

    Related links

    • Flinders New Venture Institute
    • Alumni
    • Health2Go
    • Flinders University Museum of Art
    • Flinders One Sport and Fitness
    Business and government
    Community
    Culture
    International
  • Alumni

    I want to...

    • Join an alumni network
    • Establish an alumni network
    • Share a memory
    • Access career services
    • Order a transcript
    • Give to Flinders
    • Update my details
    • Find a classmate
    • Shop Flinders merchandise
    Our alumni
    Benefits and services
    Get involved
    Stay connected
  • Giving

    Donate today

    • Donate online
    • Donate by mail
    • Giving online FAQs (PDF)
    • Staff Workplace Giving Program
    • Contact us

    Ways to give

    • Give in celebration or in memory
    • Leave a gift in your Will
    • Giving from overseas
    • Give a cultural gift
    • Get involved

    Donate to
    Why give
    Our donors
  • About

    The 2025 agenda

    • Vision and mission
    • Our strategic plan
    • Our values and ethos
    • Flinders Village

    Governance and leadership

    • University Council
    • Chancellor
    • Vice-Chancellor

    Our organisation

    • Colleges
    • Library
    • Professional services
    • Staff directory

    Campus and locations

    • Sustainability at Flinders
    • Bedford Park
    • Tonsley
    • Victoria Square
    • Flinders in the NT
    • Flinders at Festival Plaza
    Fast facts
    History
    Structure
    Contact us
  • Staff
  • Students
  • Library
  • You have no saved courses.

    Continue to explore your course options.

     
    Explore our courses

    Your saved courses

    {{{courseName}}}
    mail_outline
    delete
    View all saved courses
  • Quick links 
    • Current students
    • Staff
    • Library
    • Flinders dashboard (Okta)
    • Ask Flinders
    • Flinders Learning Online (FLO)
    • Parking
    • Campus map: Bedford Park
    • Staff directory
    • Jobs at Flinders
    • Shop Flinders merchandise

 
  • Research 

    Research areas

    • Engineering and technology
    • Health and medical
    • People and society
    • Science, environment and natural resources
    • Emerging research - Defence

    Fearless Research

    • Research Changing Lives

    I am...

    • a potential collaborator
    • a researcher
    • a potential research student
    • a current research student
  • Research impact 
    • Research awards
  • Institutes & centres
  • Partner with us
  • Participate in research
  • Labs & facilities

Challenging preconceptions.

It’s time for behaviour support practices that protect human rights and build better lives.

Fearless Research

Two recent Royal Commissions shocked Australians by exposing the over-reliance on chemical and physical restraints to manage people’s behaviour in disability and aged care settings, with evidence presented of aversive practices where people were physically bound and routinely medicated.

Both the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability and the Aged Care Royal Commission highlighted the need for alternative approaches to behaviour support that put people foremost and protect human rights.

Flinders University Disability and Community Inclusion researcher Dr Alinka Fisher is committed to building and promoting values-driven and rights-based supports using a Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) approach.

PBS might offer one solution to concerns regarding behaviour support practice in Australia, although there is significant work to be done to shift attitudes, build a capable PBS workforce and establish the systems required to support evidence-informed practice.

“PBS provides a framework to guide a very individualised and person-centred approach to behaviour support and is recommended internationally,” says Dr Fisher.

Dr Alinka Fisher

Dr Alinka Fisher

(SHAPE) Research Centre

Email

“Challenging behaviours can have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life – for example, their relationships, community participation and opportunities. They may also present risk of harm to the person and others.

“These behaviours might include physical or verbal aggression, property destruction and inappropriate social or sexual behaviour – but other behaviours like reduced initiation and apathy may also present significant challenges for the person and those providing support.

“We refer to these as ‘challenging behaviours’ because they challenge the service system to come up with an appropriate response…we are certainly not labelling the person as a ‘challenge’.

Dr Fisher explains the importance of addressing attitudes and improving environments as a first step towards finding a solution.

“Sometimes those providing support may be quick to blame the person, as if their behaviour is a problem that needs ‘fixing’ – but this feeds stigmatisation around behaviour that is not accurate or helpful.”

“Behaviour support plans are very much focused on systemic improvements – in fact, they are much less about changing the person’s behaviour than changing the behaviours of support networks.

The origins and causes of challenging behaviour are many and varied. There may be organic contributors relating to behaviour change, for example mental health issues, brain injury or early-onset dementia.

As Dr Fisher describes, ‘challenging behaviours’ are the result of interactions between the person, their environment and broader systems. We need to understand this relationship to inform effective support strategies.

Often, she says, challenging behaviours can be a result of ineffective systems that do not adequately address a person’s support needs, and then a person might express this unmet need through challenging behaviours.

“Behaviour support plans are very much focused on systemic improvements – in fact, they are much less about changing the person’s behaviour than changing the behaviours of support networks.”

“PBS is a holistic approach that emphasises preventative strategies. For example, if a person has an accessible and meaningful environment, and capable support networks, then this will have a significant impact on their quality of life and may prevent challenging behaviour in the first place.”

Dr Fisher’s research focuses on building and promoting PBS as a preventive, systems-wide and tiered approach to behaviour support.

“This is an important aspect of my research because often a person is referred to a behaviour support practitioner for specialist support before the most basic and rights-based systems and supports are even in place – those that create an accessible, predictable and meaningful environment. This isn’t okay and is a really inefficient use of resourcing.” 

She is also focused on building the capabilities of families in providing effective behaviour support and is currently working with a team in NSW to examine the feasibility of a PBS family education program for adults with dementia. Another of her projects is developing and trialling a PBS training and mentoring program to build capabilities of aged care organisations in providing effective behaviour support to people with dementia.

This emphasises Dr Fisher’s focus on educating families and building effective behaviour support systems from the ground level up.

Sometimes, she says, behaviour support practitioners are required to develop specialist and comprehensive behaviour intervention plans, but “we could better use resources if we had the foundations of good practice in place – reserving specialist behaviour support for where it’s really needed”.

While the practice of PBS has been around for a long time, it has gained momentum in Australia following the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in 2013.

“The disability service landscape has been shaped significantly through the introduction of the NDIS because it names and funds positive behaviour support. It has been a gamechanger,” Dr Fisher says.

There are now thousands of PBS providers in Australia. However, there are some concerns regarding PBS policy and implementation funded by the NDIS, and a recognised need to upskill our behaviour support workforce.

“The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission is aware that work needs to be done,” she says. “They have initiated some important work focused on improving the quality of PBS service provision”. This includes two NDIS-funded projects that Dr Fisher is involved with – one intent on giving more voice to people around their behaviour support and helping them to understand their rights, and another to build the capabilities of behaviour support practitioners.

Although there appears much to be done in improving behaviour support in Australia, the work of Dr Fisher and her colleagues provides hope for all people to have better lives.

“The disability service landscape has been shaped significantly through the introduction of the NDIS because it names and funds positive behaviour support. It has been a gamechanger,”

Lab/Institute/Centre Link

Dr Alinka Fisher

Dr Alinka Fisher

PREVIOUS

The human secrets in the sands of time

Previous

NEXT 

The Power of Polymers

next

Download your free copy of Fearless Research

Download Magazine

Flinders University Logo

Sturt Rd, Bedford Park
South Australia 5042

South Australia | Northern Territory
Global | Online

Information for

  • Future students
  • Alumni
  • Media
  • Business and community
  • Current students
  • Staff
  • External contractors

Directories

  • Contact us
  • Campus and locations
  • Staff directory
  • Colleges
  • Library
  • Research Institutes and Centres

Follow Flinders

Facebook - Flinders University Twitter - Flinders University YouTube - Flinders University Instagram - Flinders University LinkedIn - Flinders University

Brand SA logo Innovative Research University logo Indigenous communities

Website feedback

Disclaimer

Accessibility

Privacy

CRICOS Provider: 00114A      TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12097      TEQSA category: Australian University

Last Updated: 18 Oct 2022
Fearless Logo

This website uses cookies

Flinders University uses cookies to ensure website functionality, personalisation, and for a variety of purposes described in the website privacy statement. For details about these cookies and how to set your cookie preferences, refer to our website privacy statement.

You consent to the use of our cookies if you proceed.

Accept and continue