How to Document Behaviour of Concern Without Getting It Wrong

Why This Documentation Matters

Behaviour of Concern documentation sits at the intersection of clinical practice, legal compliance, and human rights. Getting it wrong can lead to inappropriate restrictive practices, breach of a participant's dignity, or failure to identify genuine safety risks.

Objective vs Subjective Language

The most common mistake in behaviour documentation is using subjective, judgmental language. Your role is to describe what happened, not to interpret why.

• Subjective (wrong): "Jake was aggressive and deliberately tried to hurt staff"
• Objective (correct): "Jake struck his open palm against the table three times and said 'I don't want to go.' When staff member approached, Jake extended his arm in a pushing motion toward the staff member's shoulder. Contact was made but no injury resulted."

:::warning Using subjective language like "aggressive," "manipulative," "attention-seeking," or "non-compliant" in behaviour documentation can breach the participant's rights and may not be legally defensible. :::

The STAR Method for Behaviour Documentation

Use STAR to structure every behaviour of concern entry:

Situation: What was happening before the behaviour? What was the environment like? Who was present?

Trigger: What appeared to precede or trigger the behaviour? Was there a change in routine, a sensory input, a demand placed?

Action: What exactly did the participant do? Describe the behaviour in specific, observable, measurable terms.

Response: What did staff do? What strategy from the Behaviour Support Plan was used? What was the outcome?

What to Include

• Exact time the behaviour started and ended
• Duration of the episode
• Intensity described factually (e.g., "spoke at raised volume" not "was screaming")
• Frequency if recurring (e.g., "third occurrence this week")
• Antecedents — what happened immediately before
• De-escalation strategies used and their effectiveness
• Whether restrictive practices were used (this triggers mandatory reporting)
• Physical description of any contact or property damage

What to Avoid

• Diagnostic labels ("had an autistic meltdown")
• Emotional interpretations ("was angry because...")
• Blame or judgment ("refused to cooperate")
• Comparisons to other participants
• Humour or sarcasm about the incident

When to Notify the Behaviour Support Practitioner

Contact the participant's Behaviour Support Practitioner (BSP) when:

1. A new behaviour emerges that isn't covered in the current plan
2. The frequency or intensity of a known behaviour increases
3. Current strategies in the BSP are not effective
4. Any restrictive practice is used (even if authorised)
5. The participant or others are at risk of harm

:::tip NDISNotes automatically categorises behaviour-related incident reports and can flag when frequency patterns suggest a BSP review is needed. :::