respectful, ethical behaviour support for all ages
Connect. Collaborate. Celebrate.
NDIS registered Positive Behaviour Support
for children, adolescents and adults, delivered with a capacity-based, neuroaffirming and non-judgemental approach.
A personal connection
Darwell Supports is an NDIS registered behaviour support practice led by Lauren Watkins, Clinical Lead, Advanced Behaviour Support Practitioner and Accredited Mental Health Social Worker.
Lauren built Darwell Supports as both a practitioner and a parent who’s lived it herself, working alongside participants, families and carers to understand what’s actually needed right now, not just what a plan said six months ago.
Positive
Behaviour Support
Individualised support focused on understanding behaviour, building capacity and improving quality of life.
behaviour support services
Darwell Supports provides NDIS Positive Behaviour Support for children, adolescents and adults, including participants with complex and high-risk support needs. Our practitioners work collaboratively with participants, families, carers and support teams to understand behaviour, develop practical Behaviour Support Plans and build strategies that work in everyday life.
Functional Behaviour Assessments
Understanding the reasons behind behaviours to identify needs, patterns and practical ways forward.
Behaviour
Support Plans
Practical, evidence-informed strategies developed with participants, families, carers and support teams.
Implementation
& Training
Helping families and support teams understand and confidently put behaviour support strategies into practice.
why work with us?
Lived
Experience
Small
Team
Extensive
Experience
Positive
Support
Collaborative
Approach
Led by a practitioner who is also the parent of a non-verbal autistic son.
Participants get consistency and real attention.
With complex and high-risk behaviour, including forensic cases.
Neuroaffirming, trauma-informed and grounded in evidence.
Working together with families and support teams.
No two participants need the same thing,
and what works this month might not work next month.
our story
Lauren Watkins founded Darwell Supports after almost 10 years working as a Behaviour Support Practitioner, Clinical Lead and accredited mental health social worker. As the parent of a non-verbal autistic son, Lauren also brings lived experience of navigating support systems that don't always fit the person or family.
Who we support
Children & Adolescents
We work alongside participants and the people around them to develop practical, individualised support that reflects their needs, environment and goals.
Adults
Complex
Support Needs
Support may involve working with families, carers, support workers, schools and other professionals,
helping create a consistent approach across the places and relationships that matter.
Support that considers the young person, their family, development and everyday environments.
Individualised behaviour support focused on choice, capacity, wellbeing and quality of life.
Experienced support for complex and high-risk behaviours, including forensic presentations.
areas we service
Darwell Supports provides in-person NDIS behaviour support across Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, the Central Coast and Hunter Valley, with telehealth behaviour support available for participants in rural and remote areas.
· Lake Macquarie · Newcastle · Central Coast · Hunter Valley ·
· Rural & Remote Telehealth ·
What is Positive Behaviour Support?
Positive Behaviour Support looks at why a behaviour is happening in the first place, not just the behaviour itself. Often it's someone trying to communicate something, even when it doesn't look that way from the outside.
Rather than aiming to stop a behaviour, the focus is on building skills, improving day-to-day life, and shaping environments that actually work for the person in them. Support built this way tends to last, because it deals with the reason behind something instead of just the surface of it.
FAQ
Positive Behaviour Support looks at why a behaviour is happening, rather than focusing only on the behaviour itself. The aim is to understand what a person may be communicating, build skills, improve everyday life and create environments and supports that work better for them.
Darwell Supports works with children, adolescents and adults of all ages, including people with complex or high-risk support needs. Support is individualised around the person, their needs and their circumstances.
In-person behaviour support is available across Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, the Central Coast and Hunter Valley. Telehealth is also available for participants in rural and remote areas.
Behaviour support may be funded under Behaviour Support or Improved Relationships, depending on how your NDIS plan is structured. If you're unsure about your funding, the Darwell Supports team can review your plan or referral details and help you understand your options.
Yes. The team has experience supporting people with complex and high-risk presentations, including forensic disability. Each referral is considered individually to make sure Darwell Supports is the right fit for the participant's needs.
Restrictive practices are actions or measures that limit a person’s rights or freedom of movement, such as physical restraint, locked access, restricted access to food or medication used to manage behaviour. Darwell Supports identifies and monitors restrictive practices and works with participants and support teams toward reducing or eliminating them wherever possible.