Victorian Senior Practitioner's Directions and Prohibitions

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Everybody has the right to feel safe and respected.

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The NDIS Commission says physical restraint is 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.

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The NDIS Commissioner is clear that some physical restraints should never be used.

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Some types of physical restraint are also not allowed by law in some States and territories.

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In Australia, for example, there are some physical restraints that are not allowed by law in Victoria.

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A basket hold is where a person wraps their arms around another person's upper or lower body or both.

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Prone restraint is where a person forces another person into a face down position on the ground.

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Supine restraint is where a person forces another person into a face up position on the ground.

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A pin down is where a person holds down another person's arms or legs or any part of their body.

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A takedown technique is where a person forces another person to fall to the floor with or without help.

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Any physical restraint that limits or stops another person from breathing or digesting food properly.

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Any physical restraint where a person pushes another person's head forward onto their chest.

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Any physical restraint that involves hurting another person, hyperextending another person's joints, or putting pressure on another person's chest or joints to make them do something.

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These physical restraints might be called to different things by different people in different states or territories.

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If it looks or sounds like any of these types of physical restraint, it should never be used in Australia.

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These physical restraints should never be used because they put at risk someone's breathing, digestion, or movement.

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This might lead to serious injury, trauma, or death for the person being restrained or the person that is doing the physical restraint.

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Using these physical restraints is not providing good support for people with disability.

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If a physical restraint that should never be used is used on you, or you see someone using one, it is not OK and needs to stop.

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You should tell someone you trust, like a family member or carer, so they can help you to make it stop.

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There are things disability service providers must do if they do see or hear about a physical restraint that should never be used.

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Check that the person who was restrained is OK and the environment is safe.

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Report the physical restraint to the right government organisation in your state.

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For example, in Victoria this is the Victorian senior practitioner.

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Report the physical restraint to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

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Help connect the person that was restrained with the right support.

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Make sure steps are in place so it doesn't happen again.

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For example, service providers could review what happened or give more training to support workers.

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We all have a role to play to make sure people with disability get the support they need in a Safeway.

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Keeping each other safe is everyone's responsibility.

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Everybody has the right to freedom of movement, to be free and in control, to engage with their community

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and to pursue a fulfilling life. Sometimes people with disability are subject to restrictive practises called environmental restraints, which limit their ability to move freely in the community.

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They may have locks on their doors that they can't open. They may be subject to constant supervision when they are in the community. These practises may be put in place to keep the person or the people around them safe.

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No matter what the reason, environmental restraints like these must be authorised. They can only be used if there are plans in place to minimise and reduce their use. In some circumstances it is unlawful to limit the freedom of movement for people with disability under the Disability Act in Victoria. Sometimes environmental restraints, which restrict people's freedom of movement, are used when there are other, more appropriate options.

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For example, some people with a disability do not know how to be safe around roads, and people are worried they might get hurt if they leave their home. Some of these people have their doors locked so that they do not leave their home and get hurt. But other people are supported to learn how to be safe around roads, and that allows them to have more freedom to leave their home. The Victorian senior practitioner is undertaking research to find more ways to reduce the use of these

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constraints and to strengthen the safeguards for people who experience them.

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That means working with service providers on ways to support clients and remove the need for those restraints. It means developing tools to help everyone better understand what is and what isn't allowed under legislation. It means working with other States and territories to ensure a national and consistent approach.

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By working together, we can help make sure that people with disability get to enjoy their rights to freedom.