Imagine being unable to explain that a room is too noisy, a routine has changed, you are in pain, or you need time alone.
Instead of someone trying to understand what is wrong, you are physically stopped, locked away, denied access to something important, or given medication mainly to control your behaviour.
The immediate situation may appear quieter.
But has the real problem been solved?
Restrictive practices may sometimes be used when there is an immediate and serious risk of harm, and no safer option is available. However, they should never become the normal response to distress, disagreement, emotional escalation, or behaviour that staff finds difficult to manage.
When restrictive practices become routine, the person may lose more than freedom in that moment. They may lose trust, confidence, opportunities to make choices, and chances to learn safer ways to communicate.
The goal of disability support should not be to make a person easier to control. It should be to understand their needs, protect their rights, reduce risk, and help them build a safer and more independent life.
What Restrictive Practices Can Look Like
Restrictive practices are actions that limit a person’s movement, access, freedom, or control over their own environment.
Not every safety action is automatically a restrictive practice. Context, purpose, risk, consent, legal requirements, and the person’s individual circumstances all matter.
However, providers should never casually label a restriction as “safety” without examining whether it limits the participant’s rights and whether a less restrictive alternative is available.
Restrictive Practices Must Be the Last Resort—not the First Response
A restrictive practice should not be used because:
- a participant is taking too long;
- a worker is frustrated;
- the person refuses an activity;
- a routine is inconvenient;
- there are not enough staff;
- the person is verbally upset but does not present an immediate risk;
- the organisation has always handled the behaviour that way;
- proper support strategies have not been developed.
It should only be considered when there is a genuine risk of harm, other evidence-based and person-centred strategies have been tried or considered, and no less restrictive response can keep the person or others safe.
Even then, it must be:
- the least restrictive response possible;
- proportionate to the actual risk;
- used only for safety;
- used for the shortest possible time;
- properly authorised where required;
- clearly documented and reported;
- included in an appropriate behaviour support plan when ongoing use is proposed;
- regularly reviewed with the goal of reducing and eliminating it.
Restrictive practices should never become normal simply because they appear to achieve quick compliance.
A Quiet Person Is Not Necessarily a Supported Person
Restrictive practices can create immediate silence or compliance. This may make them appear effective.
But a person who has stopped resisting may not feel safe.
They may feel:
- frightened;
- powerless;
- confused;
- angry;
- humiliated;
- unheard;
- unable to trust staff;
- unsure how to communicate without escalating.
Compliance does not always mean understanding, agreement, or wellbeing.
A person may eventually stop making choices because they believe their choices will not be respected. They may wait for instructions instead of attempting tasks independently. They may avoid communicating discomfort because previous attempts led to restriction.
Support should not be judged only by whether the environment becomes easier for staff to manage.
It should also be judged by whether the person feels safe, respected, understood, and increasingly able to participate in decisions about their own life.
How Restrictive Practices Can Affect Independence
Independence develops through opportunities to:
- make choices;
- experience reasonable consequences;
- practise communication;
- solve problems;
- learn emotional regulation;
- try tasks;
- make safe mistakes;
- build confidence.
Over time, the person may become increasingly dependent on others to control the environment and make decisions.
This does not mean people should be left unsupported or placed in unsafe situations. It means support should actively build skills while managing risk.
The question should not only be:
“How do we stop this behaviour?”
It should also be:
“What is the person communicating, what are they missing, and what can we teach or change so this situation becomes less likely?”
Restriction Can Increase the Behaviour It Is Supposed to Control
Behaviour usually has a reason, even when that reason is not immediately obvious.
A person may be responding to:
- pain or illness;
- sensory overload;
- fear;
- communication difficulties;
- unexpected change;
- trauma;
- frustration;
- hunger or tiredness;
- lack of meaningful activity;
- feeling ignored;
- not understanding what is expected;
- having no acceptable way to say “no”, “stop”, or “I need help”.
If the response is repeated restriction rather than investigation, the original need remains unresolved.
The participant may then communicate more intensely.
They may learn that quiet communication is ignored, but shouting, hitting, breaking objects, or physical resistance gets a response. In their experience, greater force may become the only way to regain attention, escape discomfort, or influence what happens.
This does not mean aggression should be accepted or ignored. Safety must be maintained.
It means repeated control without teaching safer alternatives can contribute to a harmful cycle:
- The person experiences distress.
- Their early communication is missed.
- Their behaviour escalates.
- A restrictive practice is used.
- The immediate behaviour stops.
- The underlying need remains.
- Trust and communication become weaker.
- The next incident may escalate more quickly.
Restriction may control the crisis without preventing the next one.
You Leave the Person Fewer Options
People need safe and effective ways to communicate:
- “No.”
- “I need a break.”
- “This hurts.”
- “I do not understand.”
- “I want to leave.”
- “I need help.”
- “I am overwhelmed.”
When these messages are not recognised, or when the person is restricted every time they express distress, they are left with fewer options.
A person cannot be expected to communicate calmly if nobody has taught them how, given them enough time, or responded consistently when they tried.
The safer options a person has, the less likely they may be to rely on extreme behaviour to be heard.
Behaviour Is Communication—not Just a Problem to Stop
Labelling behaviour as “challenging” can sometimes place all attention on the person while ignoring the environment around them.
A better approach asks the following:
- What happened before the behaviour?
- What was the person trying to gain, avoid, communicate, or regulate?
- Were there early signs of distress?
- Was the person given time to process information?
- Did staff understand their communication style?
- Was the environment noisy, crowded, unpredictable, or uncomfortable?
- Were demands placed without choice or preparation?
- What happened after the behaviour?
- Did the response unintentionally reinforce escalation?
Understanding the purpose of behaviour does not remove responsibility for safety. It makes safety planning more effective because the team is responding to causes rather than only reacting to the final crisis.
What Should Happen Before Restriction Is Considered?
Before considering a restrictive practice, support teams should use proactive, evidence-based, and person-centred strategies.
These may include:
Recognising Early Warning Signs
Staff should learn the individual signs that a participant is becoming overwhelmed, such as:
Responding early may prevent escalation.
Changing the Environment
The environment may need to be adjusted by:
- reducing noise;
- lowering demands;
- providing a quiet space;
- improving predictability;
- changing lighting;
- offering sensory supports;
- avoiding unnecessary waiting;
- providing meaningful activities.
Supporting Communication
The participant may benefit from:
- visual prompts;
- communication devices;
- simple language;
- additional processing time;
- choice boards;
- agreed signs for “break,” “stop,” or “help”;
- staff who understand non-verbal communication.
Offering Choice and Control
Even small choices can reduce distress:
- which task to do first;
- where to sit;
- who provides support;
- whether to take a break;
- which activity to attend;
- how support is delivered.
Teaching Replacement Skills
A person may need to learn how to:
- request a break;
- refuse safely;
- wait for a preferred item;
- tolerate small changes;
- regulate emotions;
- ask for help;
- leave a situation safely;
- communicate discomfort before reaching crisis point.
These skills take time, repetition, and consistent support.
A Behaviour Support Plan Must Be a Path Away From Restriction
When a regulated restrictive practice is included in a behaviour support plan, the plan should not simply explain when staff are permitted to use it.
It should provide a clear pathway towards reducing and eliminating the practice.
If the restrictive practice continues month after month without serious efforts to reduce it, the support approach needs to be questioned.
Authorisation should never be treated as permission to stop searching for better options.
Documentation Must Lead to Learning
Whenever a restrictive practice is used, the event must not disappear into routine paperwork.
Records should clearly identify:
- what happened before the incident;
- the behaviour that led to the response;
- why the restrictive practice was considered necessary;
- which less restrictive options were tried or considered
- when the practice started and ended;
- who was involved;
- whether anyone was injured;
- how the practice affected the participant;
- what happened afterwards;
- what should change to reduce the chance of recurrence.
The purpose of documentation is not merely compliance.
It should help the team identify patterns, improve support, and prevent the same crisis from happening repeatedly.
How Families Can Question Restrictive Practices
Families, guardians, and participants should feel able to ask:
- Is this action considered a restrictive practice?
- Why is it being used?
- What immediate risk is it addressing?
- What alternatives were tried first?
- Is it included in an authorised behaviour support plan?
- Who developed and approved the plan?
- How is each use recorded and reported?
- How will the practice be reduced?
- What skills are being taught instead?
- When will the plan be reviewed?
- How is the participant involved in decisions?
Families should not be made to feel bad for asking these questions.
Restrictive practices affect a person’s rights, safety, dignity, and future independence. They require scrutiny.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are restrictive practices completely prohibited?
Some restrictive practices may be legally permitted in limited circumstances, subject to applicable NDIS, state or territory requirements, authorisation processes, behaviour support planning, documentation, and reporting. They must not be treated as routine support.
When can a restrictive practice be used?
A regulated restrictive practice should only be used as a last resort in response to a risk of harm after less restrictive and person-centred strategies have been explored and applied. It must be proportionate, as limited as possible, and used for the shortest time necessary.
Can restrictive practices make behaviour worse?
Repeated or poorly managed restriction can leave underlying needs unresolved, damage trust, reduce communication opportunities, and contribute to greater distress. This may increase the likelihood or intensity of future escalation for some individuals.
What should happen after a restrictive practice is used?
The incident should be documented and reported as required; the participant’s wellbeing should be checked, and the support team should review what triggered the event, what alternatives were attempted, and what needs to change to prevent recurrence.
What is the purpose of positive behaviour support?
Positive behaviour support seeks to understand why behaviour occurs, improve quality of life, change contributing environments, strengthen communication, teach safer replacement skills, and reduce or eliminate restrictive practices.
Can a support worker decide to introduce a restrictive practice?
A support worker should not independently create or introduce an ongoing regulated restrictive practice. Applicable authorisation requirements, an appropriate behaviour support plan, provider procedures, training, reporting, and oversight must be followed.
Conclusion
Restrictive practices may stop an immediate incident, but they do not automatically address why the incident happened.
When they are used too readily, people with disabilities may lose trust, choice, confidence, communication opportunities, and pathways towards independence.
They may learn that calm communication is ineffective and that only greater resistance produces a response. They may become more dependent on others to control situations rather than developing skills to navigate them.
That is why restrictive practices must never become the norm.
Where an immediate and serious risk leaves no safer option, the least restrictive response may sometimes be necessary for the shortest possible time. But every use should trigger reflection, documentation, and a renewed effort to find safer alternatives.
Good disability support does not ask only the following:
“How can we control this behaviour?”
It asks:
“What is this person communicating, and what must we change or teach so they have safer options next time?”
That is how support protects both safety and dignity—and helps create a genuine path towards greater independence.
Call to Action
Victor Care provides person-centred NDIS disability support in Melbourne and Regional Victoria.
Our team focuses on understanding individual communication, supporting emotional regulation, following approved behaviour support strategies, maintaining appropriate records, and helping participants build safer skills and greater independence.
Contact Victor Care to discuss respectful, personalised support suited to the participant’s needs, preferences, and NDIS goals.
