Restrictive Practices NDIS Guide: What Families Should Know

The words “restrictive practice” can land hard. So let’s slow it down.

This guide explains restrictive practices NDIS rules in plain language. It’s for you if you’re a parent, carer or support coordinator of a young person aged 12 to 20, whether you’re in Western Sydney, the Illawarra or anywhere in New South Wales.

The short version? They’re tightly regulated. They’re meant to be rare. And they’re meant to fade.

What is a restrictive practice?

It’s anything that limits a person’s rights or freedom of movement. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (I’ll just say the Commission) regulates 5 types, defined in the NDIS (Restrictive Practices and Behaviour Support) Rules 2018.

Most definitions turn on 1 phrase: “for the primary purpose of influencing a person’s behaviour”. That purpose is what makes it a restrictive practice.

What are the 5 regulated restrictive practices?

Here’s how the Commission describes each one, with an everyday picture you might recognise.

• Seclusion. Your young person is confined alone in a room or space and can’t leave, or it’s implied they aren’t allowed to. Think of a bedroom door held shut after an outburst.
• Chemical restraint. Medication used mainly to influence behaviour. It doesn’t cover medication your doctor prescribes to treat a diagnosed mental disorder, physical illness or physical condition.
• Mechanical restraint. A device used to stop or restrict movement to influence behaviour. The Commission’s Safe Transportation guide says a seatbelt guard used to keep an agitated person seated outside of transit is one.
• Physical restraint. Force used to stop or restrict movement of the body to influence behaviour. A reflex move to guide someone away from harm isn’t included.
• Environmental restraint. Restricting free access to parts of the environment, including items or activities. A locked pantry is a common example.

Context matters. The same device can be a restraint in one setting and fine in another.

Why are they only ever a last resort?

Because each one limits your young person’s rights. The Commission’s Practice Guide for children and young people says they should be used only after other things have been tried, for the shortest time possible, in the least restrictive way that keeps everyone safe.

Here’s how I put it at the kitchen table. A restriction tells me your young person needs something we haven’t worked out yet. My job is to work it out with them.

That’s what Positive Behaviour Support does. It asks what the behaviour is doing for your young person, then builds skills and changes things around them.

What does the law require?

The rules protect your young person. Here’s the core.

• A plan. Any regulated restrictive practice a provider uses has to be in a behaviour support plan written by an NDIS behaviour support practitioner, with your young person, you and their supporters.
• Timeframes. An interim plan within 1 month of the specialist provider being engaged. A comprehensive plan within 6 months, built on a functional behaviour assessment.
• Review. At least every 12 months, or sooner if things change.
• Registration. Providers must be registered with the Commission to use these practices.
• Reporting. The implementing provider reports to the Commission on the regulated restrictive practices in the plan.

Curious who writes these plans? Read what a PBS practitioner does.

How does authorisation work in NSW?

Each state and territory sets its own process. Here in New South Wales, it’s Restrictive Practices Authorisation (RPA), run through the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ).

DCJ lists 3 requirements. There’s a behaviour support plan. Informed consent comes from your young person or their guardian. And an RPA Panel, run under the provider’s own policies, approves it. At minimum that panel has 2 people: a senior manager from the provider with behaviour support experience, and an experienced practitioner who’s independent of both the provider and your young person.

What if a practice is used without authorisation?

That’s a reportable incident. It includes use without state authorisation and use that doesn’t follow the plan. The Commission lists it as a 24-hour reportable incident, so the registered provider must tell the Commission within 24 hours. See the Commission’s reportable incidents page.

How are restrictive practices faded?

The Rules aim to reduce and eventually eliminate them, and the comprehensive plan spells out the steps.

Fading happens in small, planned moves. A plan might shorten how long the pantry stays locked, then lock it only at set times, while your young person learns the skills to manage without it. Each step gets tracked. The data tells your team when to take the next one.

What can you ask?

Ask. Lots. These are the questions I’d want answered if I were sitting where you are:

• Which regulated restrictive practices are in my young person’s plan, and why?
• What did you try first?
• How will each one fade, and how will we know?
• Where’s my young person’s voice in this plan?
• Who authorised it, and when’s the next review?

Got a review coming up? Here’s how to prepare for your NDIS plan review.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Commission regulate what families do at home? It regulates NDIS providers, including when they work in your home. Its guidance says families don’t need to tell it about their own use of restrictive practices.

Is holding my child’s hand near a road a restrictive practice? Usually no. The Commission says everyday child-proofing strategies aren’t typically regulated, and you’ll need them less as your young person grows.

Can medication be a restrictive practice? Yes, if its main purpose is to influence behaviour. Medication your doctor prescribes to treat a diagnosed condition or illness isn’t included.

How often is a plan with restrictive practices reviewed? At least every 12 months, and sooner if your young person’s situation changes.

Who gives consent in NSW? DCJ says informed consent comes from your young person or their guardian, before an RPA Panel approves the practice.

General information, checked against the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission’s behaviour support and restrictive practices pages and practice guides, and NSW Department of Communities and Justice Restrictive Practices Authorisation guidance, on 3 November 2026. Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the NDIS or the NDIS Commission before making decisions.