Behaviour Intervention Plan Template for NT Schools

A Behaviour Intervention Plan (BIP) is only useful if it's built on real data, addresses the actual function of the behaviour, and is specific enough that any teacher walking in on a Monday can implement it correctly. Most BIPs in NT schools fall short of this standard. Here's what a properly structured BIP looks like, what the NT framework requires, and how to push back when what the school offers is inadequate.

Why a BIP Is Not Just a Behaviour Management Chart

The difference between a real Behaviour Intervention Plan and a generic behaviour chart is the why. A list of rules and consequences tells a student what not to do. A BIP, built on a Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA), tells everyone in the school what the behaviour is communicating—and provides a proactive strategy to meet that need before the behaviour occurs.

In NT schools, BIPs sit within the broader ILP framework. The NCCD (Nationally Consistent Collection of Data) framework requires that students receiving Substantial or Extensive adjustments have their support documented. If a student's behaviour is the primary barrier to educational access, the BIP is the central document in their ILP.

Elements of a Proper NT BIP

A BIP aligned with the DSE 2005 and the NT DoE's Students with Disability Guidelines should contain all of the following:

1. Behaviours of Concern (Observable and Measurable)

The BIP must describe specific, observable behaviours—not diagnostic labels or subjective character assessments. "Jake is aggressive" is not a behaviour description. "Jake swipes materials off the desk and uses loud verbal refusals when presented with written work" is.

For each behaviour of concern, include:

• Frequency (how often per day or week, as measured over the data collection period)
• Duration (how long episodes typically last)
• Intensity (what scale is used and where the behaviour sits on it)

2. Summary of FBA Findings

The BIP should document what the Functional Behaviour Assessment found about:

• Antecedents: What consistently happens before the behaviour (specific tasks, transitions, sensory inputs, adult approaches)
• Setting conditions: Environmental or contextual factors that make the behaviour more likely (hunger, lack of sleep, noise level, peer dynamics)
• Consequences: What happens after the behaviour—what the student gets or avoids as a result
• Hypothesised function: The behaviour's purpose (escape, access, sensory, communication, attention)

Without this section, the BIP is not evidence-based. Any BIP that skips straight to "strategies" without an FBA summary is a compliance document, not a support tool.

3. Proactive (Antecedent) Strategies

These are modifications to the environment, schedule, or instructional approach that reduce the likelihood of triggering situations occurring:

• Modified task demand or length before the behaviour is triggered
• Transition warnings at 5 minutes and 2 minutes
• Changed seating or workspace to remove sensory triggers
• Adult approach modifications (tone, physical proximity, wait time)
• Sensory breaks embedded proactively, not offered reactively

4. Replacement Behaviours

For every behaviour of concern, the BIP must identify a functionally equivalent replacement behaviour—one that achieves the same outcome for the student (escape, attention, sensory input) but through a socially acceptable means.

Example: If the function is escape from a demanding writing task, the replacement behaviour might be using a "break card" to request a 5-minute movement break. The student gets the break (the same functional outcome) without the desk-swiping.

The BIP must include a teaching plan for the replacement behaviour—how it will be explicitly taught, practiced, and reinforced.

5. Consequence Strategies

These describe how staff will respond when the behaviour does occur:

• Immediate de-escalation responses (what to do in the first 30 seconds)
• Safety protocols if the behaviour poses risk
• How to avoid inadvertently reinforcing the behaviour (e.g., not granting escape after every outburst)
• Least restrictive responses before escalating to more intrusive intervention

The NT DoE expects that Restrictive Practices are minimised and, where used, are documented and reviewed.

6. Staff Roles and Responsibilities

A BIP that doesn't specify who does what, when, is a wishlist. The plan must name:

• Which staff members are responsible for implementing each strategy
• How relief teachers will be briefed when the regular teacher is absent (NT staff turnover makes this especially critical)
• Who coordinates the BIP and holds the review timeline

7. Review Date and Success Criteria

The BIP must specify:

• When progress will be reviewed (at minimum each semester; high-intensity plans should be reviewed termly)
• What data will be collected to measure progress
• What would trigger an earlier unscheduled review (e.g., a significant increase in incident frequency)

NT-Specific Issues in BIP Development

Transient staffing: NT schools have high teacher turnover. A BIP that depends on the relationship built with a specific teacher will collapse when that teacher leaves after a term. The plan must be written so that any competent adult can implement it with a one-page briefing. Build "turnover proofing" into the BIP explicitly.

Remote service access: SWIPS visits may be infrequent in regional areas. If SWIPS involvement is listed in the BIP, specify the actual scheduled frequency and what happens in between (e.g., "SWIPS consultant will observe once per term; classroom teacher will record daily behaviour frequency data using the ABC log and email to SWIPS consultant fortnightly").

Otitis Media and hearing loss: For Aboriginal students in remote NT schools, any BIP should first confirm that hearing impairment has been ruled out as a contributing factor. Behaviours commonly attributed to defiance—ignoring instructions, not responding to name, appearing inattentive—are classic presentations of fluctuating conductive hearing loss from chronic Otitis Media.

What to Do When the School's BIP Isn't Working

If a BIP has been in place and the behaviour has not improved (or has worsened), this is not necessarily a sign that the student is "untreatable." It usually means the FBA identified the wrong function, the proactive strategies aren't being consistently implemented, or the replacement behaviour hasn't been genuinely taught.

Request an urgent BIP review meeting and bring your own data: dates and descriptions of incidents, evidence of strategies not being implemented, questions about whether the hypothesised function is still accurate.

If the school is unresponsive, escalate to the school principal, then to the regional Student Engagement office. A pattern of BIP non-implementation, alongside exclusionary consequences, is grounds for a formal complaint under the DSE 2005 and the Anti-Discrimination Act 1992 (NT).

The Northern Territory Disability Support Blueprint covers the full NT BIP and FBA process, with templates for formally requesting a behaviour assessment and challenging inadequate plans through the NT DoE complaint hierarchy.

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