What are Restrictive Practices and what service providers need to

know

This is a Plain English publication based on:

Voluntary Code of Practice for the Elimination of Restrictive Practices
This booklet has been written to help everyone understand what the Voluntary Code of
Practice for the Elimination of Restrictive Practices means and for service providers to
use in training.
In this book you will find information about:

 The Voluntary Code of Practice for the Elimination of Restrictive Practices.

 What are restrictive practices?
 The role of service providers.
 People who can help with decision making.

This is a Plain English version of some of the content of the Voluntary Code of Practice
for the Elimination of Restrictive Practices. For further detailed information please refer to
that document.

Introduction
The Disability Services Commission provides services for people with disability. The
Disability Services Commission is working with other disability service providers to look
at how they can provide people with support in safe and respectful ways.
The Voluntary Code of Practice for the Elimination of Restrictive Practices (the code)
explains ways that disability service providers can respect the rights of people with
disability. Disability service providers that agree with the code work to stop any support
that is a restrictive practice.

What are Restrictive Practices?

Sometimes people behave in ways that might hurt themselves, hurt other people or
break things. These ways of behaving are called “challenging behaviours”.
Service providers sometimes try to stop or help challenging behaviour by touching the
person or changing what happens around them.
This kind of support might be hurtful, harmful or does not respect the rights of the person.
The kind of support that might be hurtful or harmful is called restrictive practices.
Service providers need to look at other ways to help the person. Using restrictive
practices might show that a service provider does not really understand why a behaviour
is happening.
What is in the code?
The Voluntary Code of Practice for the Elimination of Restrictive Practices talks about
what service providers need to do to reduce restrictive practices.
The code says:

 People with disability have the same rights as all people, to be free from
 discrimination.
 Service providers need to include people with disability in decisions and choices
about the services provided to them.
 Service providers need to know when restrictive practices are being used and
have a plan to try and stop restrictive practices that are being used.
 People with disability can talk to service providers and other people about their
choices and decisions.
 Service providers will include the person’s family, friends, carers or advocates in
discussions about services for the person. Together, they can talk about choices
and decisions that are respectful and helpful.
 Service providers will be respectful of the culture of the person with disability and
try to provide support that is about their individual needs.

The code explains that service providers should think about how to:

 Find ways to provide support that is safe and respectful.

 Provide staff with training so they know how to support people without using
restrictive practices.
 Include people with a disability in making decisions about what they like and what
helps them.

What are Restrictive Practices?

Restrictive practices are any type of support or practice that limits the rights or freedom
of movement of a person with disability.
This might include:

Seclusion
This is when a person is put in a room or place and the person cannot leave when they
want to. This can occur at any time of the day.

Chemical
This means the use of medicine to control a person’s behaviour. The medicine might
make the person calmer or sleepy. The person might take the medicine everyday or it
might be given to them when a challenging behaviour is happening. It is only OK to use
this kind of medicine if a doctor agrees.

Mechanical
This is when something is put on a person to stop or make it harder for the person to
move or to control their behaviour.
Sometimes a device is put on a person to help them to move or to stay healthy. This is
called a ‘Therapeutic Device’. This type of device is OK as it can help reduce pain,
improve health or help the person do an activity. It is OK to use a therapeutic device
when a health professional like a doctor or occupational therapist has approved it. The
person with disability also needs to say it is OK.

Physical
This is when support people use their hands or body to stop or lessen the person’s ability
to move when they are upset or when a challenging behaviour is happening.

Environmental
This is when a person’s daily life is restricted so they cannot get what they want, when
they want it. This sometimes includes:

 Locking cupboards and fridges.

 Taking away things people like.
 Stopping the person from going to places they enjoy.

Psycho-social
This is when support people try to control what the person can do.
This sometimes includes:

 Making a person stay somewhere until they are told they can leave.
 Not talking to the person.
 Yelling at the person or telling them they are bad in some way.
 Taking away something as a punishment.

What are the rules for Restrictive Practices?

Restrictive Practices can only be used:

 When there is proof that everything else has been tried first.
 Everything else has been tried and the behaviour might harm the person or
others.
 For the shortest time possible.
 If the person has given permission to use the practice or if approval has been
given by the person’s guardian.
 When service providers have thought about how it might affect the rights of the
person.
 If the practice is written in a Behaviour Support Plan.
 When a restrictive practice is being used, it must be written down and checked at
least every 12 months.

Service providers will plan to stop using restrictive practices once they have found better
ways to support the person.

Emergency situations
Sometimes a restrictive practice might be necessary in an emergency. An emergency
means trying to save a person’s life, trying to stop a person from being injured or trying to
stop other people being injured. When an emergency occurs, the service provider must:

 Tell the Disability Services Commission what happened. Service providers need to
do this within a week.
 Think about other ways to help the person if the emergency situation happens
again.
  Service providers must make sure that restrictive practices do not happen
because their staff do not have enough training or help to work out other ways to
help that are safe and respectful.

Using other ways to help the person

People using restrictive practices need to show that they are still trying to help the person
in other ways. This includes:

 Finding out why the person does the behaviour.

 Find ways to change what happens to and around the person so the person does
not need to do the challenging behaviour.
 Service providers improving the person’s quality of life and access to supports to
meet the needs of the person.

Permission to use Restrictive Practices

Service providers need to get permission if they want to use a restrictive practice with a
person. Service providers need to talk to everyone who supports the person to find out
about what helps the person and make decisions about support strategies.
The person should always be included in talking about support strategies. They should
have access to communication supports that will help them to express their choices and
decisions. The person should be asked if they want to have the restrictive practice used.
The person can complain if they are not happy with the use of a restrictive practice. They
can complain to someone they live with, support staff, family or if they wish, someone
they don’t know but who can help. There are many advocacy groups the person can
speak to about their concerns

Other people who can help with decisions

People who know the person with disability well should be included in discussions and
decisions. This might be their parents, brother or sister, or friends. Sometimes doctors,
psychologists, and other professionals can help with the decisions. Sometimes an
advocate can help.
When there are no family or friends to help with decisions or the decisions do not respect
the rights of the person, a guardian might become involved.

Further information
The Code of Practice is represented in the following formats:

 Voluntary Code of Practice for the Elimination of Restrictive Practices

 Easy Read version

For more information about the Voluntary Code of Practice for the Elimination of
Restrictive Practices, please contact:
Disability Services Commission
146–160 Colin Street
West Perth WA 6005
Phone: 9426 9200
Freecall: 1800 998 214
Fax: 9226 2306
Website: www.disability.wa.gov.au
Email: dsc@dsc.wa.gov.au
Office of the Public Advocate
Level 1, 30 Terrace Road
East Perth WA 6004
Phone: 1300 858 455
Fax: 9278 7333
Website: www.publicadvocate.wa.gov.au
Email: opa@justice.wa.gov.au

Restrictive practices—what are your rights? This is an information guide for people with
intellectual disability.
What are restrictive practices and what service providers need to know.

Disability Services Commission

146-160 Colin StreetWest Perth WA 6005PO Box 441
Phone: 9426 9200Freecall (country): 1800 998 214Fax: 9226 2306TTY: 9426 9315
Email: dsc@dsc.wa.gov.au
Website: www.disability.wa.gov.au
DSC: 2222-15-07-2013
© Copyright Disability Services Commission July 2013.
For further queries please contact the author Debbie Lobb at
Debbie.Lobb@dsc.wa.gov.au
This publication is available in alternative formats on request.