The Disability Inclusion (Restrictive Practices – NDIS) Amendment Bill 2021 was passed on 11 May 2021. The Bill creates a legislative framework for the use of restrictive practices by NDIS providers for NDIS participants and establishes new roles.

The Senior Authorising Officer and the Authorised Program Officers will have responsibility for reviewing and approving the use of restrictive practices.

The regulations and guidelines will provide more detail about the authorisation scheme, including:

• the skills and qualifications of the new roles
• level 1 and level 2 restrictive practices
• prohibited practices
• the processes of applying, implementing, reviewing, and reporting restrictive practices

The redrafted regulations are now subject to formal approval. A public consultation process on the accompanying guidelines is now open until 17 September 2021. Feedback can be submitted on the YourSAy website.

NDS encourages members to read the document and provide feedback to ensure that the guidelines are clear, simple, and effective for NDIS participants and NDIS service providers.