Regulated Restrictive Practices on the NDIS: What They Are & How They're Authorised
Regulated restrictive practices NDIS explainer: the five types, how authorisation works under state and territory rules, and how each is reported.
The term "regulated restrictive practices" sounds technical, but it points to something very human — the specific ways a person's freedom can be limited, and the strict rules that surround them. This explainer sets out the five regulated restrictive practices, what separates them from everyday support, and how authorisation and reporting are meant to work.
What 'regulated' means
The five regulated restrictive practices
Chemical restraint is the one people most often miss
The behaviour support plan comes first
How authorisation works
Reporting to the NDIS Commission
Reduction and elimination are built in
Where this sits
Frequently asked questions
What are the five regulated restrictive practices?
The five regulated restrictive practices are seclusion, chemical restraint, mechanical restraint, physical restraint, and environmental restraint. Each limits a person's rights or freedom of movement in a different way. Because they're serious interventions, they're tightly regulated, must be a last…
What is chemical restraint, and why is it often missed?
Chemical restraint is using medication mainly to influence a person's behaviour, rather than to treat a diagnosed health or mental health condition. People often miss it because it can look like ordinary medication. If a medication's purpose is to manage behaviour, it counts as a regulated…
Who has to approve a regulated restrictive practice?
Before a regulated restrictive practice can be used, it must be authorised according to your state or territory's process, and set out in a behaviour support plan written by an NDIS behaviour support practitioner. It also has to be reported to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. It can't…
Do restrictive practices have to be reported?
Yes. Registered NDIS providers using a regulated restrictive practice must report it to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission — routine authorised use is reported monthly, and any unauthorised use must be reported as a reportable incident. This oversight exists to protect the person and keep…
Are restrictive practices meant to be permanent?
No — the whole framework is built around reduction and elimination. A behaviour support plan should include strategies to reduce and ultimately remove the need for any restrictive practice, by understanding and changing what drives the behaviour. A practice that limits someone's freedom is always…
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