NDIS restrictive practices register template.
Every use of a regulated restrictive practice must be recorded and reported to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission every month. A clean register makes that report a five-minute job instead of a scramble through shift notes.
Below is a ready-to-use set of register columns you can paste straight into Excel or Google Sheets, plus a guide to the five regulated practices and what each field is for.
The register columns
Copy this header row into the first row of a spreadsheet, then add one row each time a regulated restrictive practice is used.
| Column | What to record |
|---|---|
| Date & time | When the practice was used. |
| Participant | Name and NDIS number of the person. |
| Type of practice | One of the five regulated types (below). |
| Description | Exactly what was used or done. |
| Behaviour of concern | What was happening immediately before (the antecedent). |
| Duration | How long the practice was applied. |
| In the BSP? | Whether it is provided for in the behaviour support plan. |
| Authorised? | Whether it is authorised under your state/territory process, plus the reference. |
| Staff involved | Who applied and who witnessed it. |
| Reportable? | Whether unauthorised or not per the BSP — if so, it’s a reportable incident. |
The five regulated restrictive practices
The NDIS regulates five categories. If a practice fits any of these, it must be recorded and reported:
Seclusion
The sole confinement of a person in a room or space they cannot freely leave.
Chemical restraint
Using medication to influence behaviour, other than medication prescribed to treat a diagnosed condition.
Mechanical restraint
Using a device to prevent, restrict or subdue movement to influence behaviour (not for therapeutic or safe-transport purposes).
Physical restraint
Using physical force to prevent, restrict or subdue movement of a person’s body, or part of it, to influence behaviour.
Environmental restraint
Restricting a person’s free access to their environment — for example locking cupboards, the fridge, or outdoor areas.
Monthly reporting to the Commission
Registered NDIS providers who use regulated restrictive practices must report their use to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission every month, through the Commission’s portal. The report is essentially a count and summary of the uses logged in your register, by participant and practice type.
Keeping the register current as practices happen — rather than reconstructing it at month end — is the single biggest time saver, and it’s also what an auditor expects to see. Unauthorised use, or use that isn’t in line with the participant’s behaviour support plan, is also a reportable incident with its own timeframe — see our incident management guide.
Important
This template is general information, not legal or clinical advice. Authorisation of restrictive practices is governed by each state and territory and the processes differ. The use of regulated restrictive practices must be in line with a behaviour support plan developed by an NDIS behaviour support practitioner. Always confirm the current requirements with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and your state/territory authority.
Keep the record straight as it happens
Rostrel keeps participant records, behaviour support context and incidents together, so the evidence behind a restrictive-practice entry is captured at the point of care — ready when the monthly report and the auditor come.
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