What is physical restraint under the NDIS?

The definition

The NDIS (Restrictive Practices and Behaviour Support) Rules 2018 define physical restraint as the use or action of physical force to prevent, restrict or subdue movement of a person's body, or part of their body, for the primary purpose of influencing their behaviour.

It does not include a hands on technique used in a reflexive way to guide or redirect a person away from potential harm or injury, where that is consistent with what could reasonably be considered the exercise of care towards them.

The four types of physical restraint

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission's August 2026 sub type definitions, which providers must use when lodging plans and reporting, list these forms:

• One person physical escort: one person uses physical force to move someone from one place to another
• One person restraint: one person holds the person, or part of their body, to restrict movement while staying in one spot, standing or seated. Holding down a hand counts
• Two person physical escort: two people, one on each side, use force to move the person
• Two person restraint: two people hold the person, or part of their body, in one spot

Holds that must never be used

The Commission says supine, prone, pin down and takedown techniques and basket holds must never be used, because they carry a high risk of serious harm. They should never appear in a behaviour support plan.

Any physical restraint must not restrict a person's breathing or digestion, inflict pain, hyperextend joints, or put pressure on the chest or joints.

What is not physical restraint

• Reflexively guiding or redirecting someone away from a busy road or other immediate danger
• Physical guidance or hand under hand support while teaching daily living skills
• Blocking or shielding a strike without applying force to the other person
• One to one or two to one supervision, unless physical force is used to move or hold the person because of behaviour that presents a risk of harm

The rules for using it

Physical restraint is only allowed under the same conditions as every regulated restrictive practice:

• As a last resort, in response to a risk of harm to the person or others
• As the least restrictive option, proportionate to the risk, for the shortest possible time
• Set out in a behaviour support plan by an NDIS behaviour support practitioner, alongside positive strategies
• Authorised where the state or territory requires authorisation
• Used only by a registered NDIS provider, which reports each use to the NDIS Commission

Unplanned or unauthorised use

If a worker uses physical restraint that is not authorised, or not in line with the behaviour support plan, it is an unauthorised restrictive practice and a reportable incident. It must be notified to the Commission within 5 business days, or within 24 hours if it caused harm.

Workers should be trained in the plan's positive strategies and in de escalation, not only in the restraint itself. Every use is a prompt to ask what happened beforehand and what could be done differently next time.

Your rights as a participant or family

You have the right to be involved in developing any behaviour support plan, to know why physical restraint is proposed, which technique would be used, and what is being done to reduce and stop its use. You can ask for the plan to be reviewed.

If you think someone has been restrained without authorisation, with a banned hold, or in a way that caused harm, tell the NDIS Commission on 1800 035 544. If someone is in immediate danger, call 000.