Authorisation of Restrictive Practices in WA
Issue 18 | May 2026
- ARP Spotlight: Mechanical restraint
- Upcoming education sessions
- National resources
- Best practice in positive behaviour support (PBS): Supported decision making and everyday work practices
ARP Spotlight
Authorisation of Mechanical Restraint
A person’s human rights are always impacted when restrictive practices are used. Restrictive practices must only be used to keep people safe in response to a behaviour of concern that poses a risk of harm to the person with disability and/or others. A mechanical restraint is "the use of a device to prevent, restrict, or subdue a person’s movement for the primary purpose of influencing or controlling a person’s behaviour, but does not include the use of devices for the therapeutic or non-behavioural purposes" [1].
Mechanical restraints must be authorised in accordance with the Authorisation of Restrictive Practices in Funded Disability Services Policy (Policy) and considered against the Policy's five principles for the use of restrictive practices.
Examples of mechanical restraints include:
- arm-splints that prevent a person from hitting their head or body,
- a one-piece suit to prevent a person removing a continence pad, and
- the use of a Houdini harness to restrain a person in a vehicle for transport, due to attempts to get out of their seat during travel.
What is the person's experience?
A person’s experience of having a mechanical restraint applied to them must be understood when considering its use. Listening to and observing the person will help understand it’s impact on their life.
What is the difference between a therapeutic device and mechanical restraint?
Some mechanical devices are prescribed and used for therapeutic purposes, for example, the use of a strap to support a person’s posture during mealtimes to minimise choking. This differs from mechanical restraints which are used for behaviour purposes.
How do we know a device is therapeutic?
A therapeutic device is prescribed and used to support a person’s function in everyday life. A qualified medical or allied health professional must complete an assessment to prescribe a therapeutic device. Then, clear guidelines for use of a therapeutic device must be developed and followed.
When does a therapeutic device become a restraint?
Use of a therapeutic device outside of the guidelines, for example, leaving a person strapped in place after the mealtime has finished, may be a restrictive practice or prohibited practice.
It is important to note, when a person objects to the use of a device, then this is considered a restrictive practice.
As with all restrictive practices it is essential to work toward reducing the use of the restraint over time. Any mechanical restraint that causes hurt or harm to a person with disability may be identified as abuse and may be unlawful.
[1] Authorisation of Restrictive Practices in Funded Disability Services Policy
Looking for an Independent External Practitioner for a Quality Assurance Panel?
The Department of Communities Register of Independent External Practitioners is free for Implementing Providers. Implementing Providers can access the Register by submitting an online booking request through the Book an Independent External Practitioner webpage or contact QAP@communities.wa.gov.au for more information.
Upcoming Education
The education sessions below, will be held on Microsoft Teams.
To register: Please click on the session title and select your preferred date on Eventbrite.
ARP Policy Overview Session for disability service providers and Behaviour Support Practitioners:
Thursday 4 June 2026, 10.30am–12pm AWST
Thursday 2 July 2026, 1.30pm–3pm AWST
Thursday 6 August 2026, 10am–11:30am AWST
ARP Policy Deep Dive: Out of Scope Practices for disability service providers and Behaviour Support Practitioners:
- Monday 8 June 2026, 1.30pm–3pm AWST
- Monday 27 July 2026, 10am–11:30am AWST
- Wednesday 19 August 2026, 1.30pm–3pm AWST
ARP Policy: Supported Decision Making for disability service providers and Behaviour Support Practitioners:
- Thursday 11 June 2026, 10.30am–12.30pm AWST
- Thursday 30 July 2026, 10am–12pm AWST
- Thursday 20 August 2026, 10am–12pm AWST
ARP Policy Deep Dive: Reduction and Elimination of Restrictive Practices for disability service providers and Behaviour Support Practitioners with a good understanding of restrictive practices and are familiar with the Policy:
- Wednesday 17 June 2026, 1.30pm–3pm AWST
- Monday 20 July 2026, 1:30pm–3pm AWST
- Monday 10 August 2026, 1:30pm–3pm AWST
Positive Behaviour Support and Authorisation of Restrictive Practices (formerly Introduction to Positive Behaviour Support) for Senior Managers/Delegates on Quality Assurance (QA) Panels:
- Thursday 23 July 2026, 9:30am–11am AWST
- Wednesday 26 August 2026, 10.30am–12pm AWST
Authorisation Requirements and Quality Assurance Panels (formerly QA Panels Intro Session) for Behaviour Support Practitioners (for authors of behaviour support plans and practitioners sitting on QA Panels) and for Senior Managers/Delegates on QA Panels:
- Wednesday 24 June 2026, 9.30am–12.30pm AWST
- Wednesday 1 July 2026, 9:30am–12:30pm AWST
- Wednesday 29 July 2026, 9:30am–12:30pm AWST
- Wednesday 12 August 2026, 9:30am–12:30pm AWST
Quality Assurance Panels Practice Sessions – three separate practice scenarios for Behaviour Support Practitioners (for authors of behaviour support plans and practitioners sitting on QA Panels) and Senior Managers/Delegates on QA Panels who have completed an Authorisation Requirements and QA Panels Session (formerly QA Panels Intro Session):
- Tuesday 21 July 2026, 1.30pm–3:30pm AWST
- Monday 3 August 2026, 1.30pm–3:30pm AWST
- Monday 31 August 2026, 1.30pm–3:30pm AWST
Email BehaviourSupportConsultancy@Communities.wa.gov.au for more information on education sessions.
The National Collaboration on Reducing Restrictive Practices works to protect people with disability and ensure their human rights are upheld. This includes connecting and sharing with all Australian jurisdictions on the authorisation of restrictive practices application.
Senior Practitioners (or the equivalent counterpart) from each state and territory work together to promote national consistency and reduce restrictive practice use. As part of this work, they develop resources to educate the sector and recently created videos about physical restraint prohibited practices and environmental restraints.
Best practice in PBS
Supported decision making and everyday work practices
In Issue 17 of the ARP Bulletin, we considered how people with disability have the right to make decisions that impact their lives.
Supported decision making requires disability service providers to ensure that the supports they provide empower people with disability and enable them to make and act on their decisions.
To achieve this, providers of disability services can:
- include human rights of people with disability as an organisational value/objective.
- build a conducive environment and an organisational culture where there is time allocated for engagement with the person with disability and where relationship building is valued.
- develop policies, procedures and resources about supported decision-making, ensuring the choices of people with disability are a key component when there are decisions that affect their lives.
- embed supported decision-making principles and application through recruitment, training, mentoring and supervision of staff across all layers of the organisation, including its Board members and Senior leadership.
- facilitate reflective practice, reporting systems and data collection that track supported decision-making. This will ensure decisions can be reviewed and progress monitored.
- collaborate to develop a behaviour support plan to ensure the strategies included in the plan reflect the preferences of the person with disability.
Supported Decision Making and Authorisation Requirements
Supported decision making serves an important role in application of the Policy [1]. Behaviour Support Plans (BSP) presented at Quality Assurance (QA) Panel for authorisation should include evidence of engagement with the person who the BSP is about, as well as key stakeholders. As outlined in Section 4.1.1 of the Procedure Guidelines for the Authorisation of Restrictive Practices in NDIS Funded Disability Services (Procedure Guidelines) [2], supported decision making principles should be used as part of the engagement process.
Discussing and supporting a person with disability to understand proposed restrictive practice use and indicate their preferences is a key component of authorisation. This can also help inform the reduction and elimination plan for the use of restrictive practices, which is also a requirement for authorisation.
Workplaces that value and facilitate supported decision-making, safeguard and promote quality of life of the persons being supported as well as a reduction and elimination of restrictive practices. These practices prioritise the needs and preferences of the individuals as a core part of service provision.
[1] Authorisation of Restrictive Practices in Funded Disability Services Policy
[2] Procedure Guidelines for the Authorisation of Restrictive Practices in NDIS Funded Disability Services
For specific questions regarding the Policy, please email: arp@communities.wa.gov.au
For enquiries on the regulation or reporting of restrictive practices in the NDIS, email the NDIS Commission: behavioursupport@ndiscommission.gov.au
Feedback or suggestions for future bulletins
The bulletin is intended to provide guidance around the Authorisation of Restrictive Practice in Funded Disability Services Policy. Your feedback and suggestions are valued and welcomed.
Please email arp@communities.wa.gov.au with any feedback, suggestions about a topic or questions you would like answered in future publications.
Sharing this bulletin
You are encouraged to use this ARP Bulletin as a resource and share it with interested parties including providers, practitioners, persons with disability, their families/carers, board members and any other interested parties.
They can also subscribe directly to the Bulletin or visit the Authorisation of Restrictive Practice webpage and follow the 'Join our mailing list' link.
