Why this matters for your practice
Restrictive practices sit at the highest-risk end of NDIS compliance. Using one without the right authorisation and a behaviour support plan is not a paperwork slip, it is the unauthorised use of a restrictive practice, which is a reportable incident. Providers that implement restrictive practices are subject to specific conditions of registration and ongoing reporting to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
If your service ever restrains, secludes, or chemically sedates a participant to manage behaviour, this is one of the obligations the Commission watches most closely.
The five regulated restrictive practices
The NDIS regulates five types of restrictive practice:
- Seclusion: the sole confinement of a person in a room or space they cannot freely leave.
- Chemical restraint: the use of medication to influence behaviour, other than to treat a diagnosed condition.
- Mechanical restraint: the use of a device to prevent or restrict movement, other than for therapeutic or non-behavioural purposes.
- Physical restraint: the use of physical force to prevent, restrict, or subdue a person's movement.
- Environmental restraint: restricting a person's free access to their environment, including objects or activities.
On 9 October 2026 the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission announced an Own Motion Inquiry into whether the use of seclusion on NDIS participants "may result in actual or potential deprivations of liberty", with findings and recommendations expected in February 2027.
What providers must have in place
- A behaviour support plan developed by an NDIS behaviour support practitioner, with the restrictive practice included as a strategy of last resort.
- State or territory authorisation in line with the rules in your jurisdiction (these vary by state).
- Monthly reporting of the use of regulated restrictive practices to the Commission.
- A clear plan to reduce and eliminate the practice over time.
When it becomes a reportable incident
The use of a regulated restrictive practice that is not authorised, or is not used in accordance with a behaviour support plan, is a reportable incident. It generally must be notified to the Commission within 5 business days, or within 24 hours if it resulted in harm or falls in one of the 24-hour categories in section 20 of the NDIS (Incident Management and Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018 (serious injury, abuse, neglect, assault).
Common mistakes
- Assuming PRN medication is not chemical restraint. If it is used to influence behaviour rather than treat a condition, it is.
- Implementing without authorisation, treating the behaviour support plan as enough on its own.
- Not reporting monthly, or only reporting when something goes wrong.
- No reduction plan. The expectation is that restrictive practices are reduced and eliminated, not maintained indefinitely.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the five restrictive practices under the NDIS?
The five regulated restrictive practices are seclusion, chemical restraint, mechanical restraint, physical restraint, and environmental restraint. Each restricts a person's rights or freedom of movement and can only be used with a behaviour support plan and, in most cases, state or territory authorisation.
Is PRN medication a restrictive practice?
It can be. Medication used to influence a person's behaviour, rather than to treat a diagnosed physical or mental health condition, is chemical restraint and is a regulated restrictive practice. That includes some PRN (as-needed) medication, depending on the reason it is given.
What happens if a restrictive practice is used without authorisation?
The unauthorised use of a regulated restrictive practice is a reportable incident. It must be notified to the NDIS Commission, generally within 5 business days, or within 24 hours if it resulted in harm to the person or involved serious injury, abuse, neglect or assault (NDIS (Incident Management and Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018, s 20).
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