NDIS Positive Behaviour Support Plans and Restrictive Practices Explained -

Support team in a positive family meeting

For people on the NDIS, Positive Behaviour Support Plans and Restrictive Practices are a significant topic — and one that can be confusing to navigate. Whether you’re a participant, a family member, or a support worker, understanding the basics helps you know your rights and what to expect from providers.

The video below covers the fundamentals in a few minutes and is a good starting point.

This video is part of a series designed to offer straightforward explanations of terms used in the disability field or related to the NDIS. Each video provides a useful overview but isn’t intended to be comprehensive. For simple understanding of a topic, these videos are a good starting point. For detailed advice on your specific situation, the resources linked below will go further.

What is a Positive Behaviour Support Plan?

A Positive Behaviour Support Plan (PBSP) is a personalised plan created for NDIS participants whose behaviour may present risks to themselves or others. The purpose of a PBSP is not to control or restrict behaviour, but to understand what’s driving it and put supports in place that address the underlying cause.

PBSPs must be developed by a registered Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner — a specialist who works with the participant, their family, and their support team to understand the function of the behaviour and design a plan that promotes wellbeing and dignity.

What are Restrictive Practices?

A Restrictive Practice is any intervention that limits the rights or freedoms of an NDIS participant. The NDIS recognises five regulated restrictive practices: chemical restraint, mechanical restraint, physical restraint, seclusion, and environmental restraint.

The 5 regulated restrictive practices

Chemical restraint — Use of medication to control behaviour (not for therapeutic or medical reasons)
Mechanical restraint — Use of devices to restrict movement (e.g. belts, harnesses)
Physical restraint — Restricting a person’s movement using physical force
Seclusion — Confining a person alone in a room or space against their will
Environmental restraint — Limiting access to parts of an environment or items

All five must be authorised in an approved Positive Behaviour Support Plan and reported to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

Restrictive practices can only be used under very specific conditions — they must be included in an approved Positive Behaviour Support Plan, they must be proportionate and time-limited, and their use must be monitored and reported to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. The goal is always to reduce and ultimately eliminate restrictive practices over time.

What this means in practice

For most NDIS participants, Positive Behaviour Support Plans are not relevant. They apply specifically to situations where behaviour of concern presents a genuine risk, and where specialist support is needed to address that risk safely and ethically.

If you’re a participant or family member who has been told a PBSP is recommended, it’s worth understanding your rights in that process — including the right to be involved in developing the plan, the right to know if any restrictive practices are being used, and the right to raise concerns with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission if you don’t believe the plan is being implemented appropriately.

Heartfelt Support and behaviour support

Heartfelt Support is not a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner and does not write PBSPs. However, our support workers, Art Therapists, and Equine Therapists work with participants who have behaviour support plans in place. Understanding the basics of PBSPs and restrictive practices helps us — and helps participants — engage with those plans appropriately.

Further resources

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission’s technical guide to Regulated Restrictive Practices
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission’s overview of Positive Behaviour Support
The NDIS searchable database of Positive Behaviour Support Practitioners (if you need to find a practitioner to write a PBSP)

If you’d like to share feedback or suggest other NDIS topics we should cover, get in touch via our contact form.