What counts as a restrictive practice
A restrictive practice is something done to a person, or to their environment, that restricts their rights or freedom of movement. It is usually introduced in response to behaviours of concern, with the stated aim of protecting the person or the people around them.
The important point is that restrictive practices limit a person's autonomy, which is why they sit under careful regulation and oversight. They are not a treatment for disability and they do not address why a behaviour is happening. They are intended only as a safeguard while the underlying needs that drive a behaviour are understood and met in better ways.
The recognised types of restrictive practice
Five types of regulated restrictive practice are recognised in the NDIS context. Each is defined by what it restricts, not by intent. Understanding them in plain language helps families and support teams recognise when a practice is in use and may need to be documented and reduced.
- Chemical restraint: using medication or a chemical substance to influence a person's behaviour, where it isn't to treat a diagnosed physical or mental health condition.
- Physical restraint means using physical force to restrict or subdue a person's movement (this does not include guiding or supporting someone to do a task with their agreement).
- Mechanical restraint: using a device to restrict a person's movement to influence behaviour (different from a device used for therapeutic or safe-transport reasons, such as a wheelchair harness).
- Environmental restraint means restricting a person's free access to their surroundings, such as locking areas, cupboards, or items they would otherwise use.
- Seclusion: the sole confinement of a person in a room or space they cannot freely leave.
Why restrictive practices are regulated
Because restrictive practices limit a person's rights, their use is regulated and overseen. Where a regulated restrictive practice is used, it generally needs to be documented in a behaviour support plan, authorised through the relevant state or territory process, and reported to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
These rules exist to protect people. They are designed to make sure any restriction is a genuine last resort, is the least restrictive option available, is used for the shortest time possible, and is always paired with a plan to reduce and remove it. The exact authorisation requirements differ between states and territories, which is one reason this page points you to the appropriate authority rather than offering legal advice.
How behaviour support works to reduce restrictive practices
Reducing and eliminating restrictive practices is a core goal of positive behaviour support, not an optional extra. When a restrictive practice is in place, a behaviour support practitioner works to understand why the behaviour of concern is happening and to build safer, more effective ways to meet that need, so the restriction becomes less necessary over time.
This usually means strengthening communication, adjusting the environment, building skills, and coaching the people around the person so everyone responds consistently. A behaviour support plan records any restrictive practice currently in use alongside clear, measurable steps to reduce its frequency, intensity, and duration, with the aim of removing it altogether wherever it can be done safely.
The practitioner's role
A behaviour support practitioner doesn't authorise restrictive practices, and they aren't the body that gives legal approval. Their role is to assess what's happening, develop strategies that reduce the need for restriction, document any practice in use, and support the person's team to apply the plan safely and consistently.
Practitioners also have a duty to recognise practices that may be restrictive but haven't been identified as such. Sometimes things become routine without anyone realising they limit a person's rights. Naming these honestly, and working to reduce them, is part of ethical, person-centred practice.