A locked cupboard. A closed door. A physical hold. Medication given mainly to influence behaviour. Each response might manage immediate risk, yet each one also limits a person’s rights or freedom.

For participants, families, carers and support workers, the difficult question is often the same: how do we keep people safe while relying less on restrictive responses?

Positive Behaviour Support, or PBS, offers a person-centred way to reduce restrictive practices over time. The focus sits on understanding communication through behaviour, changing conditions, building skills and reviewing evidence. Safety stays central, alongside dignity, choice and quality of life.

What are restrictive practices in the NDIS?

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission describes a restrictive practice as an action which limits a person’s human rights or freedom of movement. Five types are regulated under the NDIS:

• Seclusion, where a person is alone in a place and prevented from leaving.
• Chemical restraint, where medication or a chemical substance is used mainly to influence behaviour rather than treat a diagnosed health condition.
• Mechanical restraint, where a device restricts movement or access to part of the body.
• Physical restraint, where force is used to stop or limit movement.
• Environmental restraint, where access to an item, activity or place is restricted.

Whether a practice meets a regulated definition depends on its purpose, effect and circumstances. A suitable practitioner and relevant providers need to review the context.

Provider obligations include relevant authorisation, clear inclusion in a behaviour support plan, last-resort use, the shortest possible duration, a response proportionate to the risk and the least restrictive option.

The goal is not safer restraint. The goal is safer support with less restriction.

What does Positive Behaviour Support aim to achieve?

PBS is an evidence-informed and rights-focused approach. Behaviour develops within health, communication, relationships, sensory experiences, routines and environment.

Instead of asking, ‘How do we stop this behaviour?’, PBS asks:

• What need is present?
• What happens before and after the behaviour?
• What is the person trying to access, avoid or communicate?
• What skill, support or environmental change would improve daily life?

In NDIS PBS, the participant stays at the centre of assessment, planning and review. The practitioner records practical behaviour support strategies in an individualised plan.

How does PBS reduce restrictive practices over time?

1. PBS starts with a functional behaviour assessment

A functional behaviour assessment explores the purpose behind behaviour through observation, conversations, records and data. Assessment also considers pain, health, trauma, sensory needs, communication, culture, relationships, choice and environmental demands.

This step replaces assumptions with a working understanding. Support then responds to likely needs before distress rises.

2. Proactive supports reduce known triggers

Many behaviour support strategies happen before a crisis. Examples include clear routines, visual information, meaningful choices, sensory breaks, predictable transitions, communication support and changes to noisy spaces.

Environmental changes often lower uncertainty and support participation without restrictive responses.

3. New skills offer safer ways to meet the same need

PBS supports skills with a clear purpose in the person’s life. A participant might learn ways to request a break, communicate pain, ask for help, choose between options, wait with support or move to a calmer space.

Skill teaching needs to suit the person’s communication style, learning pace and preferences.

4. Training helps the support team respond consistently

Participant-focused training gives families, carers and workers clear guidance on early distress, proactive support, de-escalation, safety steps and accurate recording.

Consistency lowers uncertainty. Supervision and reflective practice help teams learn without blame.

5. A graduated reduction plan sets safe next steps

The NDIS Commission expects a step-by-step reduction process. A sound plan describes least restrictive alternatives, risk controls, responsibilities, review points and evidence for the next stage.

A planned reduction protects safety while working towards elimination wherever safely achievable.

6. Data and participant feedback guide review

Teams might track frequency, duration, events beforehand, strategies tried, injuries, near misses and changes in participation or wellbeing.

Numbers never replace the participant’s voice. Reviews combine data, lived experience and trusted feedback to guide each reduction step.

A relatable example of gradual reduction

Consider a participant who becomes distressed when access to the kitchen is restricted. Staff lock food away after episodes of rapid eating. Depending on the purpose and circumstances, locked access might meet the definition of environmental restraint.

An assessment finds uncertainty around meal times and limited ways to request snacks. The plan introduces a visual schedule, predictable choices, supported communication, relevant health input and a safer access arrangement.

The team records distress, requests and locked access. A staged plan tests less restrictive arrangements while monitoring safety and participant feedback.

This fictional example explains a process, not clinical advice. Restrictive practice decisions require individual assessment, authorisation and oversight.

What does meaningful progress look like?

Progress often includes periods of stability and setbacks. Useful signs include:

• Fewer events where a restrictive practice is used.
• Shorter duration or lower intensity of use.
• Movement towards a less restrictive response.
• More independent communication and choice.
• Greater participation in home, school, work or community life.
• More consistent support across people and settings.
• Improved wellbeing reported by the participant.

Success includes quality of life, safety, rights, relationships and meaningful activity.

Myth versus fact

Myth: PBS means removing restrictive practices straight away

Fact: Safe reduction follows a monitored sequence. High-risk practices presenting unacceptable harm require immediate cessation and least restrictive alternatives.

Myth: Restrictive practices solve behaviour

Fact: A restrictive response might manage immediate risk without meeting the underlying need. PBS focuses on prevention, skills and quality of life.

Myth: One behaviour support plan works everywhere

Fact: Different settings create different demands. Strategies need local adjustment within a consistent person-centred approach.

Questions participants, families and carers should ask

Clear questions support informed choice and stronger oversight:

• Why is the restrictive practice being used, and what evidence supports the current approach?
• How was the participant involved, and where are their goals and preferences recorded?
• What function or need did the assessment identify?
• Which proactive and skill-building strategies are already in place?
• What is the step-by-step reduction plan?
• What data is recorded, and how often does review occur?
• Is the practice authorised and reported under relevant requirements?
• Who trains and supports the people implementing the plan?

Ask for Plain English or Easy Read information when technical wording creates a barrier. Participants have a right to understand decisions affecting their support.

Why teamwork matters in NDIS PBS

Reducing restrictive practices is shared work. Clear roles and communication help the participant, practitioner, family, carers, providers and health professionals respond when needs change.

Arise Allied Health takes a holistic approach to Positive Behaviour Support. Assessment considers the person, environment and support network, with individual goals at the centre. Related assessment, psychology and NDIS supports add context where appropriate.

Frequently asked questions

Does PBS guarantee the elimination of restrictive practices?

No. NDIS PBS aims to reduce and eliminate the need, but outcomes and timeframes differ. Ethical practice adjusts support according to evidence, risk and participant feedback.

How long does reduction take?

There is no single timeline. Health, communication, environment, workforce consistency and risk influence progress. Relevant comprehensive plans require review when circumstances change and at least every 12 months while in force, with monitoring between formal reviews.

Who develops an NDIS behaviour support plan?

A registered specialist behaviour support provider engages a practitioner considered suitable by the NDIS Commission. Implementing providers help put the plan into practice. Regulated restrictive practices bring added authorisation, documentation and reporting duties.

Support should protect safety, rights and quality of life

To reduce restrictive practices, teams need to understand the person, prevent distress, teach meaningful skills, support others and review evidence.

PBS offers a careful path towards less restriction. Each step should respect the participant’s voice, safety and choice.

For concerns about restrictive practices or a behaviour support plan, speak with the Arise Allied Health team about individualised PBS and related allied health services.