NDIS behaviour support and restrictive practices.
A worker restrains a participant to stop a meltdown, acts in good faith, and never gets it in writing — that is an unauthorised restrictive practice, a reportable incident, and a compliance breach before anyone has left the building. Behaviour support is one of the most tightly regulated areas of NDIS delivery because the consequences of getting it wrong fall on the participant first and the provider second. This guide explains the rules, the five regulated practices, and what you must do to stay on the right side of them.
NDIS behaviour support is specialist, person-centred support that helps understand and reduce behaviours of concern by addressing their root causes. Where regulated restrictive practices are used, they must be authorised, included in a behaviour support plan developed by a suitable practitioner, used as a last resort, and reported to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
This is a regulated area — confirm before you act
This page is general information, not legal, clinical or compliance advice. Behaviour support and restrictive practice rules are set by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, and authorisation requirements vary by state and territory. Definitions, timeframes and obligations change. Before relying on anything here, confirm your current obligations with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and your state or territory authorisation body.
What is NDIS behaviour support?
NDIS behaviour support is specialist support that helps to understand the reasons behind behaviours of concern — sometimes called behaviours that challenge — and to reduce or remove them while improving the participant's quality of life. The focus is on understanding why a behaviour is happening (what need it meets, what triggers it) and changing the environment, routines and supports around the person, rather than simply managing or suppressing the behaviour.
It is delivered by NDIS behaviour support practitioners. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission must consider a practitioner suitable to deliver this work, assessed against the Commission's Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework. Behaviour support is generally funded under a participant's Capacity Building budget — confirm the exact support category and item against the participant's plan and the current NDIS price arrangements.
Providers who deliver specialist behaviour support, and providers who implement behaviour support plans or use regulated restrictive practices, have registration and conditions-of-registration obligations with the NDIS Commission. Check whether your services fall within those requirements.
Positive behaviour support (PBS) plans
A positive behaviour support (PBS) plan is the document that sets out the evidence-informed strategies for supporting a participant. It is developed by a suitable NDIS behaviour support practitioner, in consultation with the participant, their family or guardian, and the people who provide their day-to-day support.
A good PBS plan is overwhelmingly about proactive, preventative strategies — changes to the person's environment, communication, routines and relationships that reduce the likelihood of behaviours of concern in the first place. Where a regulated restrictive practice is included, the plan must also set out a strategy to reduce and ultimately remove its use over time.
Behaviour support plans are lodged with the NDIS Commission, and there are specific requirements about what an interim and a comprehensive plan must contain and how quickly they must be developed. Those requirements are set by the Commission and should be confirmed there — do not rely on a generic template without checking it meets the current rules.
What are restrictive practices?
A restrictive practice is any practice or intervention that has the effect of restricting the rights or freedom of movement of a person with disability. The NDIS regulates five types of restrictive practice. The summaries below are general descriptions only — the precise definitions are set by the NDIS Commission and must be confirmed there before they are relied on.
Seclusion
The sole confinement of a person in a room or physical space, at any hour, where they are prevented from leaving or it is implied that they are not free to leave.
Chemical restraint
The use of medication or a chemical substance for the primary purpose of influencing a person's behaviour — not medication prescribed to treat a diagnosed mental disorder, physical illness or physical condition.
Mechanical restraint
The use of a device to prevent, restrict or subdue a person's movement for the primary purpose of influencing their behaviour — not devices used for proper therapeutic or non-behavioural purposes.
Physical restraint
The use of physical force to prevent, restrict or subdue the movement of a person's body for the primary purpose of influencing their behaviour. This is generally distinct from brief, reflexive hands-on contact to guide or redirect someone away from immediate harm.
Environmental restraint
Restricting a person's free access to all parts of their environment, including particular items or activities — for example, locking away everyday items or limiting access to areas of their own home.
The rules on restrictive practices
Regulated restrictive practices are not banned outright, but they are tightly controlled. As a general principle, a regulated restrictive practice should only be used:
- —Authorised — in line with the authorisation requirements of the relevant state or territory (these frameworks differ across jurisdictions)
- —In a behaviour support plan — used in accordance with a behaviour support plan developed by a suitable practitioner
- —As a last resort — to prevent harm, in the least restrictive form, and for the shortest possible time
- —With reduction in mind — alongside a clear strategy to reduce and ultimately remove its use
Registered NDIS providers that use regulated restrictive practices must report that use to the NDIS Commission — both the routine, authorised use (reported on a regular basis) and any use that falls outside the rules. NDIS case management software that records each use against the participant and shift makes that reporting far easier to get right. If you are setting this up manually first, start with our free restrictive practices register template.
Unauthorised use is a reportable incident
The use of a restrictive practice that is not authorised (where authorisation is required), or that is not in line with a behaviour support plan, is a reportable incident and must be notified to the NDIS Commission within the required timeframe. Reporting timeframes and channels are set by the Commission — confirm the current requirements before an incident occurs, not after.
What providers and workers must do
Follow the behaviour support plan
Make sure every worker supporting the participant has read and understood the current PBS plan and implements the proactive strategies in it — the plan only works if the people on shift actually use it.
Use only authorised practices, as a last resort
Never use a regulated restrictive practice unless it is authorised (where required), included in the behaviour support plan, and genuinely a last resort to prevent harm — in the least restrictive form and for the shortest time.
Record and report every use
Document each use of a regulated restrictive practice accurately, and report it to the NDIS Commission as required — routine authorised use on the regular reporting cycle, and unauthorised or out-of-plan use as a reportable incident within the required timeframe.
Complete the required training
Workers involved in behaviour support and restrictive practices need appropriate training and competency — including the relevant NDIS worker training and any role-specific behaviour support and restrictive practice training your obligations require.
Work towards reduction and elimination
Restrictive practices are meant to decrease over time. Review what's working with the behaviour support practitioner, feed real shift observations back into the plan, and aim to reduce and ultimately remove the need for any restrictive practice.
For NDIS providers using practice management software
Rostrel records every use of a regulated restrictive practice against the relevant participant and shift, capturing the type, duration, and staff member involved — so you have a complete, timestamped log ready for NDIS Commission reporting without reconstructing incidents from memory or paper notes. When an incident falls outside an authorised behaviour support plan, Rostrel flags it as a reportable incident and prompts the required notification steps, reducing the risk of a missed or late report. Every record is deletion-protected, giving auditors and the Commission a trustworthy audit trail that reflects exactly what happened and when.
Frequently asked questions
What is NDIS behaviour support?
It's specialist, person-centred support that helps to understand the reasons behind behaviours of concern and to reduce or remove them, while improving the participant's quality of life. It's delivered by NDIS behaviour support practitioners and usually results in a positive behaviour support plan. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission sets the requirements — always confirm current rules with the Commission.
Who can write a positive behaviour support plan?
A PBS plan must be developed by an NDIS behaviour support practitioner the NDIS Commission considers suitable, assessed against the Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework. PBS is generally funded under a participant's Capacity Building budget — confirm practitioner suitability and the funding details with the NDIS Commission and the participant's plan.
What counts as a restrictive practice under the NDIS?
Any practice or intervention that has the effect of restricting the rights or freedom of movement of a person with disability. The NDIS regulates five types: seclusion, chemical restraint, mechanical restraint, physical restraint, and environmental restraint. The precise definitions are set by the NDIS Commission and should be confirmed there.
Do restrictive practices have to be authorised?
A regulated restrictive practice can generally only be used when it is authorised in line with the relevant state or territory requirements and used in accordance with a behaviour support plan — as a last resort, in the least restrictive way, for the shortest time. Authorisation frameworks differ between states and territories, so confirm your obligations with the NDIS Commission and your state or territory authorisation body.
What happens if a restrictive practice is used without authorisation?
Use of a restrictive practice that is not authorised (where authorisation is required), or not in line with a behaviour support plan, is a reportable incident that must be notified to the NDIS Commission within the required timeframe. Registered providers must also report the routine, authorised use of regulated restrictive practices. Check current reporting timeframes and channels with the NDIS Commission.
Keep a clean record of what happened
Rostrel won't authorise a restrictive practice or write a behaviour support plan — those stay with your practitioner and authorisation body. What it does do is record incidents, including restrictive practice use, link them to the right participant, and keep a deletion-protected audit trail — so when the NDIS Commission or an auditor asks what happened, the answer is already there.
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