What Is the Most Common Restrictive Practice in the NDIS? A Behaviour Support Practitioner’s Perspective
Restrictive practices are one of the most critical areas of NDIS support, and rightly so. A restrictive practice also known as "RP" is any action that limits the rights or freedom of movement of a person with disability, used in response to behaviours of concern. Under the NDIS (Restrictive Practices and Behaviour Support) Rules 2018, a restrictive practice should only ever be a last resort, the least restrictive option available, used for the shortest time possible, and always paired with a plan to reduce and ultimately remove it. The process of removing a restrictive practice is known as a phase out period or a phase out plan. This involves, overtime reducing the need on the relevant RP checking the data to see changes to any Behaviour of Concern based on changes or phasing out of the RP.
Restrictive practices NDIS
The five regulated restrictive practices
Chemical restraint
Medication used to influence a person's behaviour, rather than to treat a diagnosed physical or mental health condition.
Environmental restraint
Restricting a person's free access to parts of their environment, such as a locked fridge, gate, or cupboard.
Mechanical restraint
A device used to restrict a person's movement, such as a strap or restrictive clothing.
Physical restraint
The use of physical force to prevent, restrict, or subdue a person's movement.
Seclusion
Confining a person, alone, in a room or area they cannot freely leave.
Every restrictive practice must be a last resort and paired with a plan to reduce it. See how Positive Behaviour Support helps.
What the data shows: chemical restraint is the most common
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission collects and publishes data on the use of regulated restrictive practices through its quarterly activity reports. That reporting has consistently shown chemical restraint to be the most commonly used regulated restrictive practice across the scheme, with environmental restraint the next most prevalent.
The numbers. In the most recent quarter published by the NDIS Commission, covering 1 April to 30 June 2025, around 15,700 NDIS participants nationally were associated with a regulated restrictive practice. Chemical restraint was the most common, recorded for roughly 9,800 participants, ahead of environmental restraint at roughly 9,200. The other three practices were far less common. Source: NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Quarterly Performance Report Q4 2024-25, Appendix D, available at https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/about-us/corporate-reports.
These figures matter, because they tell behaviour support practitioners where the greatest need for change sits.
Why chemical restraint is the hardest to phase out
From a behaviour support practitioner's perspective, chemical restraint is usually the most challenging restrictive practice to reduce. The reasons are both practical and clinical.
Prescribing authority sits with medical practitioners. Medication is prescribed by a GP or psychiatrist, which means any reduction has to be a medical decision made in collaboration with the prescriber. A behaviour support practitioner cannot reduce or stop medication. We can provide the behavioural evidence and work alongside the medical team to support a safe change, but the decision is not ours to make alone.
Many prescriptions are long standing. It is common to meet a participant who has been on the same medication for years, sometimes started in a very different set of circumstances, and never formally reviewed against their current behaviour and life. Part of the work is simply prompting that review.
Withdrawal has to be gradual and medically supervised. Unlike some other practices, medication cannot safely be stopped quickly. A careful, monitored reduction over time keeps the person safe, but it also means timelines are much longer than for other restrictive practices.
Proactive strategies must be working first. Before any reduction can safely begin, positive behaviour support strategies need to be in place and demonstrably making a difference. The medication is not removed in isolation. It is reduced as other supports take its place.
The whole care team needs confidence. Families, providers, and support workers are often understandably anxious that behaviours of concern will escalate when medication is reduced. A large part of the practitioner's role is building confidence and capability across the team, so everyone feels ready before a change begins.
Reducing restrictive practices
Why some restrictive practices take longer to reduce
Chemical restraint
Usually slower- Prescribing sits with a GP or psychiatrist, so change is a medical decision.
- Medication must be reduced gradually and under medical supervision.
- Proactive strategies need to be in place and working before reduction begins.
Environmental restraint
Often quicker- The change usually sits within the provider's control.
- There is no prescriber and no medical withdrawal to manage.
- Once strategies are working, access can often be restored sooner.
Either way, a behaviour support plan guides the change and tracks how the person responds, always working toward the least restrictive option.
Environmental restraint: often quicker to reduce
Environmental restraint offers a useful contrast. Because the change usually sits within the provider's control, it can often be reduced more quickly. Once proactive strategies are working, unlocking a fridge, removing a locked gate, or restoring access to a previously restricted space can frequently happen sooner. The behaviour support plan still guides the change and monitors how the person responds, but there is no third party prescriber and no medical withdrawal to manage, so the path is generally shorter.
Positive Behaviour Support
Reducing restrictive practices, the right way
Allied Health 2U's behaviour support practitioners work with participants, families, and providers to reduce and eliminate restrictive practices safely, through positive behaviour support and close collaboration with the care team.
Prefer email? info@alliedhealth2u.com.au
Common questions
What are restrictive practices in the NDIS?
A restrictive practice is any action that limits the rights or freedom of movement of a person with disability, used in response to behaviours of concern. Under the NDIS (Restrictive Practices and Behaviour Support) Rules 2018, they must always be a last resort, the least restrictive option, used for the shortest time possible, and backed by a behaviour support plan.
What are the five regulated restrictive practices?
Chemical restraint, environmental restraint, mechanical restraint, physical restraint, and seclusion. Each is defined by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, and each must be authorised and reported when it is used.
What is the most common restrictive practice?
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission's reporting has consistently shown chemical restraint to be the most commonly used regulated restrictive practice, with environmental restraint typically the next most prevalent.
Why is chemical restraint the hardest to reduce?
Because prescribing sits with a GP or psychiatrist, any reduction needs medical collaboration and a careful, gradual, medically supervised withdrawal. Proactive positive behaviour support strategies need to be in place and working first, and the whole care team often needs support to feel confident as medication is reduced.
How does Allied Health 2U help reduce restrictive practices?
Our behaviour support practitioners complete a functional behaviour assessment, build a positive behaviour support plan with clear fade-out strategies, collaborate with prescribers and the care team, and review regularly, always working toward the least restrictive option.
The behaviour support practitioner's role in reducing restrictive practices
Reducing any restrictive practice follows the same evidence-based path. It begins with a functional behaviour assessment to understand why a behaviour is happening and what need it is meeting. From there, the practitioner develops a positive behaviour support plan with clear, proactive strategies and a defined fade-out plan for any restrictive practice in place.
Throughout, the practitioner collaborates with the people who matter: the prescriber, where chemical restraint is involved, along with the family, the provider, and the support team. Regular review keeps the plan honest, tracks whether strategies are working, and guides the timing of any reduction. The goal is always the same, the least restrictive option, and wherever possible, no restrictive practice at all.
How Allied Health 2U supports reducing restrictive practices
At Allied Health 2U, our behaviour support practitioners work with participants, families, and providers to reduce and eliminate restrictive practices safely and respectfully. That means thorough functional behaviour assessments, positive behaviour support plans built around the person and their goals, close collaboration with prescribers and care teams, and the patient, ongoing work of building everyone's confidence as supports change.
Restrictive practices should always be a last resort. Our role is to help make them rarer, and wherever possible, unnecessary.
If you are supporting an NDIS participant who has restrictive practices in place, our Positive Behaviour Support team can help. Learn more about our Positive Behaviour Support services.
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