What are restrictive practices?
Restraint and seclusion are commonly referred to as restrictive practices. They are practices which necessary involve violence against the person, as they are actions imposed on a person. The State of Victoria (‘Physical Restraints in Disability Services’ 2009) uses the following definitions:
Physical restraint
The sustained or prolonged use of any part of a person’s body to prevent, restrict, or subdue movement of the body or part of a body of another person (e.g., lasting more than 30 seconds; not a reflexive manual restraint).
Mechanical restraint
The use of any device to prevent, restrict or subdue movement of a person’s body for the primary purpose of behavioural control, but excluding the use of an authorised mechanical restraint recommend by a medical practitioner or therapist
for use at identified times and places for therapeutic purposes (i.e., explicitly to enhance health and wellbeing) and an authorised mechanical restraint recommend by a medical practitioner or therapist to support a person participate in identified activities of daily living (e.g., at meal times), or to enable a person to be transported safely according to law.
Chemical restraint
The use of a chemical substance to control or subdue a person’s behaviour (be it regularly administered or prescribed as required – PRN), but which excludes any drug prescribed by a registered medical practitioner for the sole purpose of treating a diagnosed physical illness or condition, or by a psychiatrist for the sole purpose of treating a diagnosed mental illness.
The Australian Psychological Society provides the following definitions:
Mechanical Restraint – the use of devices such as harnesses or straps to restrict free movement.
Seclusion – involves solitary confinement of a person in a room or area (e.g., garden) from which their exit is prevented by a barrier or another person. Seclusion includes situations in which people believe they cannot or should not leave an area without permission.
Psychosocial restraint is the use of social or material sanctions, or verbal threat of those sanctions, to attempt to moderate a person’s behaviour. Psychosocial restraint includes practices such as response cost (withholding a valued item or activity from the person in response to a specific behaviour) and restricted access.
Schools Using Restrictive Practices
For a list of schools that use restrictive practices, see “Schools List” on this website. As many schools that use restrictive practices do not identify as doing so, parents are encouraged to contact this website and advise their experiences of such practices in order that other parents can be informed. It is recommended that schools using restrictive practices be avoided.