Start Your Positive Behaviour Support Career in Melbourne
A pathway for people who believe behaviour always has meaning, and want to help people improve their quality of life.
Positive Behaviour Support isn’t defined by a single degree or a single background. It’s defined by how you think about people, and whether you believe that every person deserves support that’s grounded in their rights, their context, and what genuinely matters to them.
PBS practitioners come from psychology, social work, education, occupational therapy, speech pathology and beyond. What connects them isn’t what they studied. It’s a shared commitment to doing right by the people they support – helping improving people’s quality of life, and reducing risk in everyday settings.
If that resonates with you, PBS may be for you.
Or please fill in the form below
What is Positive Behaviour Support?
Positive Behaviour Support is a person-centred, evidence-based approach to understanding and responding to behaviours of concern. It’s not about managing or minimising behaviour. It’s about understanding the person behind it.
At its core, PBS is about improving quality of life. It asks us to look at the whole person, their communication, their environment, their relationships, their history, and build support around what genuinely matters to them.
At Ignite, our PBS practice is grounded in the human rights and social model of disability. That means we start from a position of respect, we work collaboratively with participants and their networks, and we’re always focused on reducing reliance on restrictive practices, not normalising them.
Good PBS practice is community-oriented, strengths-based, and deeply human. It’s also one of the most meaningful roles in the NDIS space.
Who can become a PBS practitioner?
There’s no single path into PBS, and that’s one of the things that makes it such a rich discipline to work in.
At Ignite we welcome practitioners from a wide range of backgrounds including:
- Psychology
- Social Work
- Education
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech Pathology
- Counselling
- Other Relevent Degrees
What matters most isn’t where you studied, it’s how you think about people.
The support structures behind all our new PBS practitioners
Starting a new role is a lot, even more so when you’re building a career in a discipline you didn’t study directly. At Ignite, support isn’t just a supervision session once a week. It wraps around you from day one.
Your first year in PBS at Ignite
Your first year isn’t about knowing everything. It’s about building a strong foundation, finding your feet, and starting to develop your own practice identity.
Phase 1 - Getting grounded
Your first weeks are about understanding Ignite's approach before you touch a caseload. You'll learn our values, our PBS framework, and how we think about the people we support. You'll meet your supervisor, your team manager, and the colleagues who'll become your day-to-day support network. This phase is about asking questions freely and getting comfortable in your new environment.
Phase 2 - Building your practice
From here, your caseload builds gradually, starting with participants whose presentations are a good match for where you're at. You'll begin conducting assessments, developing Behaviour Support Plans, and working with participants and their networks. Supervision is weekly and your Clinical Excellence Team is available when cases get complex. This is where your skills start to feel real.
Phase 3 - Finding your direction
By the second half of your first year, you'll start to notice where your interests lie. Some practitioners are drawn to paediatric caseloads, others to complex adult presentations, trauma-informed practice, or restrictive practices work. Your PD budget and supervision will follow your curiosity. There's no pressure to specialise early, but the support is there when you're ready.
Meet some of the people around the hub
As one of our Grad Program alumni, Samuel knows exactly what it’s like to be in your shoes.
He loves all things physiotherapy, and he’s just as happy talking anime, sport, or whatever random topic pops up in the hub. He’s got that easy-going vibe that makes people feel comfortable straight away, and he’s genuinely excited about helping people.
Emma joined Ignite as a student on placement and has been with us ever since. Ticking over three years as an Igniter, she’s become a steady, trusted part of the team.
She’s the epitome of cool, calm, and collected, with an air of quiet confidence, kind energy, and genuinely lovely to work with.
What you'll need to apply
- A relevant tertiary degree (psychology, social work, education, occupational therapy, speech pathology or equivalent)
- Current Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner registration (required before starting)
- NDIS Worker Screening Check (or willingness to obtain prior to starting)
- A valid Australian driver's licence and access to a reliable vehicle
- Working with Children Check (or willingness to obtain prior to starting)
- Police Check (or willingness to obtain prior to starting)
- A genuine interest in community-based, person-centred care with NDIS participants
Are you ready to apply?
If Ignite’s approach resonates with you and you’re ready to start building a PBS career, we’d love to hear from you. We’re currently taking applications for our 2026 cohort.
Call Nikita on 0450 306 496 for a confidential chat, or fill in the application form below
Frequently asked questions
We’re happy to have a confidential conversation about your background before you formally apply.
Reach out to Nikita, our Head of Talent directly on 0450 306 496 to get the process started.
Not necessarily. Relevant experience is helpful but what matters most is your values, your willingness to learn, and your commitment to the people you’ll be supporting.
As a new practitioner you’ll typically commence at Core level, which is appropriate for most PBS work. Your registration level can increase as your qualifications and experience develop.
Our PBS pathway is open to both. If you’re an experienced practitioner from a related field looking to move into PBS, we’d love to hear from you too.