Victorian Senior Practitioner – eLearning modules

Speaker 1: Chelsea Troutman 

We acknowledge the traditional owners of country throughout Victoria and pay respects to elders past and present. We recognise their connection to country and role in caring for and maintaining country for thousands of years.

Welcome to our short course about providing safe, effective, and right space support to people with disability in the justice system who have offended.

In this first module, we will help you understand your role as a support worker, and how to provide safe, respectful, and effective support for people with disabilities who have come to contact with the criminal justice system. By the end of this first module, you will understand both the challenges and the strengths of this very meaningful work, how your role helps build the person's capacity to live more independently, safely, and with minimal restrictions, and to maintain professional boundaries to do this.

You'll learn how to empower participants by modelling positive behaviours and teaching skills outlined in their support plans. That collaboration and consistency across the care team lead to better outcomes and help safeguard the person's rights. About people with intellectual or cognitive disabilities who have come into contact with the justice system, as well as about those individuals who engage behaviour that is harmful to others or illegal behaviours that place them at risk of contact with justice.

Who are we talking about and why? 

People with disability are significantly overrepresented in the justice system. This means that compared to the general population, they are more likely to come into contact with police, courts, custodial settings.

Many factors contribute to this, and often these are linked to unmet support needs rather than criminal intent. For example, they may face challenges with communication, decision making, impulse control, and navigating complex legal processes. This is why targeted and well-informed support is so important.

When we provide the right support to our participants, we can help prevent further involvement with the justice system. We can avoid unnecessary restrictions on their life, and most importantly, we can uphold their rights and dignity.

This is where your role as a support worker is so important.

Every shift, you have an opportunity make a real difference in helping a person stay safe, stable, and connected to their community. Working in this space means balancing two responsibilities, providing compassionate support that promotes skills, independence, and wellbeing, and managing risk and legal obligations to help keep the community safe.

At times, these responsibilities can feel like they're pulling in opposite directions, but in reality they go hand in hand. A support worker's role isn't just about managing risk, it's about capacity building, positive behaviour change, and empowerment, while still maintaining safety and accountability.

Speaker 2: Yenn Purkis

Good knowledge of intersectionality is a really helpful thing for any kind of support workers or for anyone really, because so many of us that access whatever kind of help we access, we come with a number of marginalised identities.

For me, I'm autistic and ADHD, I have a number of mental health issues. I'm LGBTQ+ and I'm an ex-prisoner. So there's a whole bunch of intersectional groups for you, and that is a really important thing to be aware of within this space.

People can belong to more than one marginalised group, which impacts on their experience of the criminal justice system. I remember when I was in trouble, when I was younger, I would go to court and my lovely lawyer, his name was Vince, he was very tall, he had a long black ponytail, very imposing kind of guy, but really lovely, and he would take some photos of my artworks to the magistrate and say, "Look at this. Look at what my client did. They're creative, they're lovely, they're an artist. You can't put them in prison; it's the worst place for them." And the magistrate every time will look really sad and say, "There's no other alternative to prison. There's nowhere else for this person to go."

And I think that is a huge issue even now around accessing appropriate support. It's not there.

Speaker 1: Chelsea Troutman 

Balancing disability support with justice and risk.

In practice, supporting people who have contact with the justice system can be challenging.

You might see manipulative or boundary-testing behaviours, which often come from a history of trauma and a lack of trust in others. You have legal orders that dictate what you can and cannot do, and the person often has multiple issues that they're experiencing that impacts on their life day to day, such as mental health, disability, substance use. Your consistency, calmness, respect can help build the stability that they need to make positive changes. Finally, we must also recognise the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the justice system. This means our work must always include cultural awareness, respect, listening and learning, and adapting our support to honour each other's cultural identity and experience. 

Recognising strengths in this work.

One of the greatest strengths in this work is the presence of a multidisciplinary team. This means there are different professionals from different fields who bring specialist knowledge and advice all together. The team around your participant are also there to support you in your role. You're not alone in carrying the responsibility of managing risk. Collaboration and communication is key to providing well-informed support. For example, you have valuable observations and knowledge about the person to share with the broader team to enhance their knowledge as much as they can support you in your understanding. When we draw on each other's expertise, this leads to stronger, safer outcomes for everyone. While the challenges are real, the strengths within this work are powerful. By working together, we create meaningful change and better futures for the people we support. This means that we must look beyond a goal of simply reducing offending. Your role as a support worker can give the person hope and the opportunity to build a wide range of meaningful skills that improve their quality of life, enhance their independence, and strengthen their relationships.

Your role in supporting a person with a disability who has offended.

Speaker 3: Georgie

I think the difference between a support worker in the forensic space compared with not is the level of training and understanding they need required to work with somebody safely. They're constantly managing risk for themselves and for the participant, and unless they have the high level of education, mostly through the behaviour prac, then they're probably, we're setting them up to fail.

It's constantly challenging. You have gotta be on your feet. 

You've gotta think well in front of that person well before your shift, well before you turn up as to how you're going to conduct yourself and what your time with that person can look like so that you can be even remotely successful. It's a hard job and it's not for the faint-hearted. 

Speaker 1: Chelsea Troutman 

Supporting a person with a disability who has offended can be challenging and complex work, but it's incredibly important. Firstly, we are often providing support in risk-prone environments. This means we must remain vigilant about boundary testing in our relationship, environmental triggers that could drive aggression and harmful behaviours, and situations or settings to always avoid, especially when support is being provided to someone who has a history of offences against children. Luckily, your work rarely happens in isolation. Your role is often only one part of a larger care team and system that have very similar goals as yourself. You are often provided guidance on how to manage triggers and the situations to avoid, as well as situations to approach. And this guidance is provided through training, reflective practise, behaviour support plans, or a treatment plan.

Your role has a direct impact on helping someone reduce risk, rebuild their life, and live safely and meaningfully in the community. Your role as a support worker assists participants in many practical ways. You might help them establish daily routines, create structure and stability, support decision making and planning and emotional regulation. You can help with encouraging community engagement, help build healthy and safe relationships, and promote independence by guiding skill development rather than doing tasks for the person. And you can ensure the person understands and complies with any legal orders or court order conditions. The best outcomes happen when your support strikes a balance between four key areas, maintaining professional boundaries, showing compassionate engagement, focusing on skill-building, and working collaboratively with the wider care team. Each of these aspects are all interrelated and they're all required for us to build trust, promote safety, and improve the quality of life for the person.

This will help reduce the likelihood of offending.

Managing boundaries.

Speaker 3: Georgie

One of the most important parts of their role is setting boundaries with their participant.

'Cause quite often, people in that space have not had those opportunities. They're not raised that way. They've missed out on the safety, the emotion, the love that we all have, and they need that modelled to them. I think also when you're setting boundaries with your participant, it's all in the delivery. You know, if you're setting a boundary and you're speaking, you know, in a loud voice or you're speaking harshly towards somebody, that's never gonna land well. So when you're setting your boundaries, you're speaking kindly, you're speaking respectfully. And also when some boundaries need to be set, you can also lean back into the STO or the BSP and give them reasons for it. Once you've got those boundaries understood alongside your participant, that's when the relationship can build. 

That's when the trust is formed and that's where you get that real collaborative jostling going on between you and your participant and you start to enjoy yourself.

Speaker 1: Chelsea Troutman 

One of the most important parts of this work is maintaining professional boundaries.

Boundaries are not about being distant or an authority. They're about being consistent, reliable, respectful. Clear boundaries protect you and the person you're supporting. 

They help establish trust because the person knows what to expect from you and where the limits are. As a support worker, you are a role model for safe and respectful relationships. The NDIS Code of Conduct is there to guide your practice. It outlines principles that ensure the person's rights, dignity, and safety are upheld, and that your support is always consistent with ethical and legal standards. Building a positive relationship with the person you support is essential, but that relationship must have clear professional boundaries established from the outset. Here are some key tips to follow. Be friendly but not a friend. Avoid sharing personal details about your private life. Don't make personal promises or commitment outside your role. Follow proper processes for approval. Report incidents or concerns promptly to your supervisor. And stay alert for changes in the person's behaviour or mood. These could be signs of distress or need for extra support. Remember, consistency, transparency, and honesty build trust and safety for everyone.

Recognising boundary crossing.

Even with the best intentions, boundaries can be sometimes blurred. Being able to recognise when a boundary might be crossed is key to maintaining safety and ethical support. Some common signs include, feeling overly responsible for the person's wellbeing. Giving or receiving gifts. Having personal conversations outside of your professional role. For example, sharing details about your family or home life. Working outside rostered hours without approval. Using strategies or approaches that differ from the agreed team plan. Or feeling the need to keep information from your team or supervisor. When these situations occur, it's important to pause, reflect, and discuss them with your supervisor as soon as possible. Awareness of boundaries helps to protect both the participant and your own professional integrity.

Responding to boundary crossings.

It is very likely that there will be moments where boundaries are tested in support work. Let's look at a few common examples and how to respond. If the person asks for personal help, like borrowing money, using your car, or visiting your home, politely decline. Inform your supervisor about the request. If you feel uncomfortable, fearful, or dislike the person, keep your boundaries in place and talk with your supervisor. This ensures support remains safe for both you and the person. If you feel emotionally involved or responsible for fixing someone's problems, that's a signal to step back and seek support from your supervisor. If you find yourself doing things for the person instead of teaching them, remember, your role is to build independence, not create dependency. And if you notice other staff crossing boundaries or acting inappropriately, you have a duty to report it. This protects the participant and helps maintain a safe and ethical workplace. Boundaries can be challenging to navigate, but you're never alone. You, your team, your supervisor, are all there to support reflective discussions and good decision making. The best way to maintain healthy boundaries and avoid these challenging situations from occurring is through reflective practice. Use supervision and peer reflection to talk about situations that feel unclear and challenging. Debriefing after challenging shifts is very important. It is best done away from the house to avoid the person listening, and to provide you with a neutral environment for support. Reflection supports your wellbeing. It strengthens your professional judgement, and it helps you and your team continuously improve how support is delivered to your participant. Training is also essential to know how to best support the individual, build positive relationships, and teach skills that are necessary for rehabilitation.

Modelling: teaching new skills through your actions.

As a support worker, you are constantly modelling behaviour, teaching through your actions, not just your words. The way you speak, manage stress, and treat others sets the example that the person's observing and will often copy. Be the behaviour you want to see repeated from others. When you demonstrate patience, problem solving, and respectful communication, the person is more likely to reflect those repeated behaviours. For many individuals in the justice system, they may not have had healthy role models, so your behaviour carries real influence. This is what we mean by modelling, one of the most powerful tools for building positive lasting change. The strategies and goals that guide your support are usually outlined in a behaviour support plan or treatment plan. These plans are there to help you. They help you implement strategies consistently and safely, help keep everyone, including yourself, and the community safe, and make sure your work aligns with the goals of the broader care team. Support plans are most effective when they are developed collaboratively, with input from the person, support workers, clinicians, and other professionals. They clearly outline what restrictions are in place and why, as well as how those restrictions will be reduced over time associated with skill development and safety. Following the plan helps ensure that everyone is working together towards safe, positive outcomes. Skill development takes time and repetition for both the person you support and for you as a professional. Every interaction is an opportunity to learn, refine, and improve skills. Some ways to strengthen your own skills include role play with team members. Practise what to say and how to respond consistently. Provide feedback to your team if a strategy isn't working. Speak up and adjust the plan together. Engage in reflective practise, discuss what is working, what's not working, and work out why. This ongoing learning helps you feel more confident, capable, and supported in your role, and it ensures the person you support receives the most consistent, effective care possible. Supporting people with a disability who have offended is complex, challenging, but deeply meaningful work. When we combine compassion with professionalism, you can maintain clear boundaries while empowering independence. This leads to helping people rebuild their lives and reduce harm in the community. Every small, consistent action you take contributes to real change for the person, the team, and society. But remember, you're not alone. Support workers are only one part of a bigger team supporting your participant. And this wider network are all there to support you in your role as a support worker. Speak up if something feels wrong or you notice a difference in other staff's behaviours or changes in your participant. There are no wrong answers or comments. Communication and collaboration are critical for everyone's safety and wellbeing. Lean on the care team for advice, consultation, and support. Everyone is working towards the same goals. This is to improve the quality of life and capacity of your participant, whilst managing risk of harm towards others and adherence with the law.

Speaker 1: Phoebe

We acknowledge the traditional owners of country throughout Victoria and pay respects to the elders past and present.

We recognise their connection to country and role in caring for and maintaining country over thousands of years.

Hi, and welcome to our second module about taking a positive and informed approach to supporting people with a disability who have contact with the justice system.

In this module, we'll be exploring what it means to understand people with a disability who have contact with the justice system through a holistic lens. These are individuals with highly complex needs. Too often, systems focus only on their behaviour or their risk, but if we look deeper, we find important layers, disability, trauma, social disadvantage, and environmental influences that all shape how the person presents and their support needs. Our aim is to look beneath the surface so we can support people more effectively and in ways that affirm their rights and dignity.

By the end of this session, you'll be able to use the behaviour pyramid to understand what situations and conditions influence behaviour and maintain behaviours of concern. Apply a biopsychosocial, developmental and trauma-informed lens to the support you provide. Recognise how forensic risk factors impact independence and safety, and understand trauma-informed ways to manage risk, support safety, and enable growth. Positive behaviour support. When we think about what makes support effective, it always comes back to the foundations of positive behaviour support, or PBS. PBS is not just about reducing behaviours of concern, it's about improving a person's quality of life, first and foremost, and that principle is exactly the same for participants who have contact with the justice system. This approach protects a person's rights and creates the conditions for lasting positive change, especially for people who are often marginalised or have complex support needs. Through positive behaviour support, we identify unmet needs and triggers that drive a person's behaviours, create environments that manage risk, while also helping the person succeed and promote growth and focus on teaching new safe skills that empower people to take control of their lives and see hope for a better future.

Seeing the whole person.

Speaker 2: Georgie

Understanding that that person has had some experiences that has contributed to the way they see the world, understanding the person's needs at a deeper level can also mean that you're more successful, whether you're supporting somebody as well.

Speaker 1: Phoebe

When we look at behaviour, it's important to remember behaviour doesn't happen in isolation. A person's actions are influenced by their history, current circumstances, their health, their emotions, and the world around them. So when we support someone, we must always aim to see the whole person, not just their behaviour. Often what we don't see is the most important information. If we ignore the person's trauma, their stress, their experiences of harm, rejection, or fear, we miss the biggest areas where support is needed most. 

Biopsychosocial framework. A helpful framework for understanding the whole person is the biopsychosocial model. This model reminds us that a person's behaviour and wellbeing is shaped by multiple factors, biological needs such as brain injury, intellectual disability, or medical conditions, psychological needs including trauma, shame, mistrust in services, or poor coping skills, developmental needs which help us match our communication strategies to the person's age and functional capacity and social needs such as community exclusion, homelessness, or institutionalisation, or the impacts of justice involvement. When we consider all these layers together, we can design support that truly fits the person and meets them where they are. When trauma is added into this mix, the impacts can be profound. For example, a client may resist authority figures not because they're being defiant, but because authority has always been linked to harm, or they may avoid making choices because for most of their life, choices were denied. This lens shifts us from asking what is wrong with this person to what has happened to this person and what do they need now?

Understanding risk through experience and context.

Speaker 3: Yenn Purkis

I was really most desperate, miserable, self-destructive, angry, aggressive person you could imagine. So I'd been bullied the whole way through school and I hated myself, and so I was actively seeking out negative stuff. I have a thing called alexithymia or emotion blindness, which makes it difficult to be aware of what you're feeling, and I had some very negative emotions, but I didn't know how to get them out. And so if I went to a violent protest and like threw stuff at the cops, that would help me to get rid of those emotions, and that's not a good idea, but it's what I did and the next few years, I was just really institutionalised and I couldn't live on the outside 'cause it was scary and it was big, and I didn't know what I was meant to be doing from one day to the next.

Speaker 1: Phoebe

When we talk about managing risk, we must understand the person's story and lived experiences because these experiences often shape how they behave today and what contributes to their risk. Early life experiences play a major role in how someone learns to trust, to regulate emotions and to feel safe in the world. For example, if a child grows up in an unsafe or unpredictable environment, their brain develops to constantly scan for danger. As adults, these individuals may still live in that same state of stress, hypervigilance, anxiety, and ready to react to threats that may not actually be there. This is where attachment becomes important. Attachment refers to the emotional bond formed to the caregiver in early life. The early experience of this connection can lead to lifelong patterns in the way we relate to others that are meant to be close to us. Here are the four primary attachment styles that can develop and how it looks in our relationships. Secure attachment. I can trust others. I'm safe. I'm a good person, I'm worthy of love and good experiences. Disorganised attachment. I can experience intense and unpredictable emotions and responses under stress. I may push people away, react aggressively, or freeze and feel helpless. I hold negative beliefs about myself and find it hard to trust others. Insecure, avoidant attachment. I can assume everyone will let me down so I avoid any closeness in my relationships. I believe I am better off on my own and find it very difficult when people ask questions about me or try to get to know me. Insecure, anxious attachment. I need constant reassurance and struggle to be alone. Even when I am told I am doing well, I do not believe I am good enough. When others are upset, I think it is because of me, so I may become even more clingy. 

As support workers, it is essential to recognise how these early experiences influence the way a person interacts with you and others today.

Trauma, attachment and engagement.

Speaker 3: Yenn Purkis

I always say we don't punish our bad people, we punish our sad people.

Trauma-informed is really important because sadly, so many people experience trauma, but in the prison system particularly and in the justice system, it's essential. You really do, and to have that level of empathy as well, and to go in there without judgement, that's very important.

Speaker 1: Phoebe

Many clients with a disability who have had contact with the justice system have also experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, and other significant social disadvantages. People with a history of trauma may respond to support in ways that seem challenging, but these may actually be adaptive survival responses that kept this person safe in their life. For example, you might see stress or aggression when meeting new staff, resistance to authority or mistrust towards services, unpredictable withdrawal or refusal of support, threatening behaviour after a worker has returned from time off because that absence felt like abandonment or the person asking for space, but then struggling to be alone safely. You may also notice regression in skills when the person is stressed, such as loss of emotional control or returning to earlier behaviours. Your job is to create safety, not control. Increasing a person's sense of powerlessness often leads to more harm and more risk. A trauma-informed approach focuses on predictability, respect, and trust to promote safety first. When you notice distress or reactive behaviour, ask yourself, is this person feeling scared or unsafe right now? How can I make this moment more predictable, calm, or supportive? You can then create safety and predictability by reducing unnecessary demands or triggers on the person, validating and reassuring the person's emotions and reminding them that they're safe, supported, and capable of learning new ways to meet their needs. The person needs to feel safe before expecting them to regulate their emotions and change the circumstances. A trauma-informed approach is essential to build trust and promote a safe environment that enables growth. A trauma-informed approach looks like being kind and understanding, not confrontational, offering choice wherever possible, explaining what you are doing and why, avoiding sudden changes if possible, or if it cannot be avoided, communicate what is happening with the person. Recognise signs of distress and respond early.

Understanding risk as a support need.

Speaker 2: Georgie

We'll use the behaviour support plan to outline the behaviours of concern that will need support, but the training provided by the experts in our care team, our allied health professionals around the person's background, not necessarily their diagnosis, but about who they are as a person and how they've come to be is so important for how you can approach that person and be person-centred. We've always gotta ask the experts to put it in words that we understand.

Speaker 1: Phoebe

Real safety for both the person and the community doesn't happen in the absence of all risk. Safety happens in the presence of the right support. A rights affirming approach means viewing risk as a need, not a danger. Risk factors are both personal and environmental conditions that increase the likelihood of harm or re-offending. Understanding the different characteristics and situations that increase risk helps you and your team put strategies in place that reduce those risks and build the person's capacity for independence and improve coping skills. Knowing a person's risk factors are really important for support workers as these characteristics are often the biggest barriers to the person's independence, community inclusion and safety if not properly addressed. These strategies are often detailed in the person's behaviour support plan or treatment plan, which outline how to manage and reduce risk over time. Common forensic risk factors. Often, a person's offence is linked to unmet needs. For example, harmful sexual behaviour may be linked to a lack of healthy education or opportunities to experience intimacy or arson may be linked to difficulties with emotional regulation and communication skills. If we only see these as risks to be managed, we can end up in a cycle of control and restriction, but if we see risk factors as needs to be addressed, we can match the person with the right support. This is where we can create opportunities for rehabilitation, skill building and safer independence. Let's now consider forensic risk factors. These are the vulnerabilities that increase a person's likelihood of offending or of being restricted. Many participants with complex needs also have complex risk profiles. This means that they're often presenting with multiple co-occurring risk factors that require support. Some common examples include early experiences of abuse, neglect or harm, poor educational outcomes, intellectual or learning difficulties, social isolation and lack of healthy relationships, limited coping skills or high impulsivity, cultural vulnerability or discrimination, long-term segregation or institutional living, mistrust of services or service breakdown, homelessness, mental health and/or substance use and negative attitudes and biases from systems or staff that limit opportunities for the person's growth. Recognising these factors helps us understand why behaviours occur and what supports will need to be put in place to help reduce the person's risk over time.

Building trust and empowerment.

Speaker 2: Georgie

High level of empathy is something that you can't teach in a person, so that's a prerequisite to learning and turning up and being nonjudgmental in front of your participant.

Speaker 1: Phoebe

Most of our clients have experienced multiple disadvantages, adversity and trauma. This is not an excuse for harmful behaviour, but rather an indication of their need for well-informed, compassionate and trauma-informed support. When we see the whole person, it becomes clear that offending behaviour often links back to unmet needs and life experiences. That's why the first step in any support plan is to build trust, be consistent, be honest, keep clear boundaries. Empower the person to be part of their own rehabilitation and goal setting. With the support of practitioners, the person can work on personal goals that align with their needs and risk factors such as recognising and managing emotions safely, feeling secure in their environment, communicating needs in positive ways, developing routines and daily structure, managing sensory or environmental triggers, building social networks and meaningful activities, and developing independence and self-determination. 

When these areas are strengthened, risk naturally decreases and the person gains more control and dignity in their life. By now, you should be able to see that when supporting people with a disability who have contact with the justice system, the main goal of positive behaviour support remains the same, to improve quality of life by meeting the person's disability and psychosocial needs. We must always look at the whole person, not just their behaviour to manage risk effectively and remember, safety is not achieved in the absence of risk, but in the presence of good trauma-informed support. The environment around a person has a huge influence on their behaviour. For this group of participants, punitive or overly restrictive environments can be re-traumatising and may actually increase risk. In our next module, we'll explore how the environment can be designed to enable the best outcomes and safety for all, including the participant, the staff and the community.

Speaker 1: Chelsea Troutman 

We acknowledge the traditional owners of country throughout Victoria and pay respects to elders past and present. We recognise their connection to country and role in caring for and maintaining country for thousands of years.

Welcome to Module 3, setting up the right environment to provide the right support. In this module, we'll explore how behaviour and environment constantly influence one another. The person shapes the environment, and the environment shapes the person. For example, when a client begins to escalate, staff might respond with stricter rules or controls. While that can keep people safe in the short term, it can also increase a person's sense of powerlessness, which may actually fuel further escalation. On the other hand, when environments are predictable, respectful and offer genuine support, people feel safer and less reactive. These environments are supportive of growth and naturally reduced risk. So the key question we'll keep asking throughout this module is, does the environment help this person grow and build skills, or does it reinforce their trauma and risk?By the end of this session, you'll understand how environments impact behaviour and risk, what a supportive environment looks like, how to build connection and trust, how to promote cultural safety and how to manage conflict safely and respectfully. 

Environments influence behaviour and risk.

Speaker 2: Yenn Purkis

It's significantly easier to throw your life down the toilet than it is to get it back again. If you do judge people, it is more likely, I think, I don't know if there's evidence on this, but in my experience, it's more likely to push them in the direction of committing more crimes rather than committing less crimes or no crimes. I remember when I was, oh, after I'd been out for about a year and a half, maybe two years, and I decided to sign up with an employment service. So I went, there was an autism specific one, and I thought, I'll go and see these folks. And so off I went, and at the time, their CEO was an ex-cop. And when I said, I've been in prison, and when it was, he goes, oh, we can't work with you, you'll just go back to jail. And at that point, I'd actually been in university for a year. So I've been doing positive, nice, good citizen things, and even so that's what he said. Now, if I'd been a bit less secure in who I was, that lack of trust would've led to a lack of trust in myself, and I may well have gone and done something I regretted. But thankfully for me, I was pretty tough about that so.

Speaker 1: Chelsea 

Behaviour doesn't happen in isolation. Every action, reaction, or pattern of behaviour is influenced by the environment around it, the physical space, the social setting, the cultural context, and the emotional climate. As support workers, you play a vital role in shaping these environments. That includes understanding each person's individual needs and their experiences, and creating a culture of safety, belonging, and empowerment. When we focus on building environments that meet people's needs, rather than controlling their behaviour, we help create conditions for growth and success.

Risk is dynamic.

Speaker 2: Yenn Purkis

Often, people do things in the heat at the moment and they regret them, and you judging them is not actually gonna help them. And yeah, it's very important to come to people, meet them where they actually are in their journey.

Speaker 1: Chelsea 

Risk is not fixed, it's dynamic. And this means that changes depending on the context and the environment and the situation. Environmental factors can either increase or decrease risk, sometimes within minutes or hours, sometimes slowly over weeks and months. For example, loud noises, crowded spaces, or feeling judged can increase stress and trigger risky behaviour. Positive environmental factors like good communication, supportive relationships, stable, predictable homes can reduce these triggers. These are called protective factors. And when people feel heard, when they feel empowered and understood by their support team, they're far more likely to engage positively with you. Think about yourself. When you feel safe and listened to, you're more open to trying different things. And when you have a sense of choice and control, you feel empowered. But when you feel powerless or fearful, it's natural to withdraw or even act out to regain some kind of control. That is the same for the people we support. 

When environments cause harm. 

Sometimes environments can unintentionally increase risk or distress. For example, locked doors, staff uniforms or loud noises might remind a person of their past trauma. Environments that are overly restrictive or focused on compliance can reinforce feelings of powerlessness leading to frustration, withdrawal, or reactive behaviour. The more restrictions we use, the higher risk that someone will use behaviours to communicate their need for control, safety, or dignity. This is why understanding the impact of the environment is so important in reducing harm and promoting recovery.

Key features of a supportive environment.

A supportive environment brings together several key elements. It sees risk as a need, not a problem to be punished. It promotes skill and capacity building, helping people learn to grow. It fosters trusting and empowering relationships with clear and safe boundaries, and it provides real motivation for the person to engage in their life. It offers genuine opportunities for hope and progress, where people can experience success and gradually reduce restrictions. Supportive environments don't just keep people safe, they help people thrive.

A supportive environment enables growth.

Speaker 3: Georgie

Generally, participants in this space need a support worker to guide them through making better decisions, forming relationships. You're modelling to them the best, how to be in the community, how to operate safely in the community. You are modelling to them capacity building at home, you're working through routines, you're modelling parts of your life to them so that they can see another way to be. One of the ways that we can, you know, really support somebody well in the community, or in their home that is provided, is to encourage routines. Little things like saying, you know, we're gonna have a shower in five minutes, how can I help you with that? You know, do you want me to get your towel? Are you okay to be in there on your own?You know, asking gentle questions around how to support that person with that routine will show that that person is being respectful and they care about how they're coming across to their participant.

Speaker 1: Chelsea

When environments are supportive, people experience safety, hope, and growth. This looks like, providing positive, respectful social interactions where everyone feels valued, predictable and consistent routines that reduce anxiety, clear and transparent boundaries, genuine opportunities for choice and control, and daily chances to learn, practise and apply new skills. And lastly, a strong focus on dignity and rights. When people feel and experience environments like this, they start to believe that change is possible, and that's where progress begins.

Building connection and trust.

Speaker 3: Georgie

I think it's important that our participants know that what we are deciding together is in their best interest. That they feel in control of the decision making for the day. Unless they feel as though they have been a part of the journey, and we are not just imposing everything upon them, you won't be successful, you will lose trust.

Speaker 1: Chelsea

Learning is a social process. We learn through the people and the environment around us. That's why good support always begins with good relationships. To build genuine connection and trust, remember that trust is earned slowly through consistency. Safety must always come first. People can't connect until they feel safe. So lead with respect, not control. Ask about and respect each other's personal cultural identity and preferences. Model accountability. Show that you take responsibility for your own actions. Communicate with hope and encouragement, and celebrate small wins. Every success matters. These small moments of connection build the foundation for lasting change.

Building a culture of hope and encouragement.

Speaker 2: Yenn Purkis

All of the successful programs had at least one individual who was passionate about changing people's lives. Every single service that had lots, and lots and lots of successes had somebody like that, or more than one person like that on the payroll. And they cared about the, they cared about the criminals and the offenders, and they actually wanted to help them succeed in life. And they were prepared to go above and beyond to do that. The other one was a fellow called Dez. And Dez was the last person you'd expect to have any faith in me at all. You know, he's a typical prison officer, typical screw, you know, he'd been doing that forever. And that was his job, and that was his passion, and he's straight down the line, and he'd write you up if he needed to. And he said to me, again, you will achieve good things. I have faith in you. So I called the prison when I got into my master's in 2005, and I spoke to Dez, and I said, thank you for having faith in me, I'm doing my masters.

Speaker 1: Chelsea

A culture of hope is a foundation of positive change. People grow when those around them believe they can. Communicate hope through both your words and your actions. For example, saying things like, you can do this, you're capable, I'm here with you. Encourage participation in skill building. Instead of doing things for the person, do things with them like cooking a meal together, planning the day as a team. These small, meaningful choices create empowerment, dignity, and a genuine sense of control over one's life, particularly when there's restrictions involved. Empowering, individuality and cultural safety. Culture is a powerful source of strength, identity, and belonging. As support workers, it's vital that we create culturally safe environments. This means asking about and respecting each other's personal, cultural identity, traditions, preferences, avoiding assumptions, acknowledging history and lived experience, involving cultural and community networks where appropriate, and advocating for inclusion and equality. You might say something like, your connection to community is a real strength. Let's build on that. When people feel culturally safe, they're more likely to trust, participate, and then grow. The environments we create shape how people feel, behave and grow. Supportive environments are built on safety, consistency, empowerment and respect, including cultural respect. When we lead with hope, build trust, and provide real opportunities for choice, we create the conditions for positive change. Every small action, every calm interaction, every moment of listening helps build a safer, more supportive environment where people can move towards independence, confidence and wellbeing.

Speaker 1: Phoebe

We acknowledge the traditional owners of country throughout Victoria and pay respects to the elders past and present.

We recognise their connection to country and role in caring for and maintaining country over thousands of years.

Welcome to Module 4, Safeguarding the Person's Rights. 

In this final module, we'll explore how to protect the rights of people we support while managing risk safely and respectfully. By the end of this module, you'll understand how to: protect participants' rights while managing risk, understand the role of restrictive practices, lawful orders and authorisation, clarify your role in providing both support and supervision, move from control to collaboration, and finally, how to use behavioural data to measure progress and tell a meaningful story of change.

Let's begin by exploring what it really means to protect rights, even in complex situations. 

Understanding Restrictions and Protecting Rights.

Speaker 2: Yenn Purkis

The person in the criminal justice system could be your friend, your partner, your child or you.

Getting caught up in the justice system can happen to anyone. If it was you or someone you care for, how would you treat them and how would you like them to be treated and what would you do?

So you look at crime, there's a social element and there's an individual element.

And I think we need to shift the focus onto how can we make prison a positive, how can we make prison something that people are going to benefit from and see it differently and see crime differently as well.

Speaker 1: Phoebe

When working with people with a disability who have contact with the justice system, there are times when restrictions are necessary to keep people and communities safe. But it's important to remember these restrictions should never be permanent and must only be used when lawfully authorised.

Protecting rights means ensuring that any restriction is the least restrictive option and always part of a broader plan that builds independence and supports rehabilitation. Sometimes participants will have court-ordered conditions they must follow. It's their responsibility to meet these conditions, but support workers play a vital role in helping them do so. You can assist by helping the person understand the conditions using accessible materials such as easy reads, providing structure, reminders and opportunities to practice positive routines that align with those conditions, discussing with your team or supervisor what each condition means in daily life and understanding the potential legal consequences if they're not followed. Your role isn't about enforcing rules, it's about empowering, understanding, reducing confusion and supporting compliance in a respectful, person-centred way that protects the person and the community.

Clarifying support and supervision.

When supporting this particular group of participants, it is essential to understand the difference between support and supervision and how both work together to promote safety, skill development and independence. Support means helping the person build skills to manage their own risk and live more independently. This might include learning to make safe choices, regulate emotions, recognise risky situations and navigate safer environments. Supervision, on the other hand, means monitoring a person's movements or actions, often as a part of managing risks to others. This may include situations where a participant cannot leave home without a support worker present.

Supervision must always be lawfully authorised, often connected to the justice system or relevant state legislation.

Here's an example. If you're teaching someone how to use public transport safely, that's support.

If you're confirming their location to ensure they're complying with a court order, that's supervision.

Often, you'll be doing both at once. When supervising, you're still providing support by being present, providing feedback about pro-social behaviours and managing risks alongside the person and helping them develop skills to navigate the community and their life safely with confidence and a sense of belonging. It's about empowerment and rehabilitation, not control. Think of it this way. Support builds independence, improved coping and decision-making and self-management of risk.

Supervision provides a safe, temporary structure around the person whilst they are developing those essential skills. And across both, your work should always be guided by the participant's voice, interests and goals.

Moving from control to collaboration.

Speaker 3: Georgie

You're not necessarily controlling the person out in the community. That's, you know, for when they're incarcerated, that's not our role. Our role is to support and to redirect and to use the strategies in the BSP, in the STO to support them in any kind of redirection to ensure that the participant feels safe and that they also feel supported and to minimise risk.

Speaker 1: Phoebe

Our goal is not control, it's collaboration. We want to work with people, not over them. A balanced, trauma-informed approach promotes both hope and accountability. Instead of just focusing on preventing negative behaviour, we focus on building skills for self-managemen and improved decision-making. As people develop capacity and stability, restrictions can gradually be reduced, always in collaboration with the participant and their care team. These plans are often called step-down plans. They map out how restrictions and supervision will decrease over time in a safe, structured way. When managing risk, it's important that everyone in the care team asks, what does this person want to achieve? What supports will help them do that safely? What skills do they need to become more independent? By keeping these questions in mind, we shift from controlling risk to building capability and self-management of risk together.

Managing conflict safely.

Speaker 3: Georgie

When you've got a support worker out with a person that they know has a level of risk attached to supporting them, that feeling of alone is real. But the training provided by the experts in our care team, our allied health professionals, around the person's background, not necessarily their diagnosis, but about who they are as a person and how they've come to be, is so important for how you can approach that person and be person-centred and increase that level of empathy.

We've always gotta ask the experts to put it in words that we understand. They need to understand the protocols. They need to understand if something goes wrong, exactly what to do, and it needs to be second nature.

Speaker 1: Phoebe

Conflict can happen in any setting, but when working in high-risk or risk-prone environments, conflict may be more common. But the way we manage it directly impacts both safety and trust without having to rely on restrictions. Before conflict occurs, take time to read a participant's behaviour support plan to understand triggers and early warning signs for the person you support and use proactive strategies outlined in their behaviour support plan to prevent escalation. During conflict, stay calm and avoid escalating the situation.

Use de-escalation techniques such as controlled breathing, giving the person space, or redirecting attention to a safer activity. Strategies should be outlined in the person's BSP. Focus on keeping everyone safe, including yourself. After conflict, take a moment to reflect on what happened and how you feel. If trust has been affected, acknowledge it and work on repairing the relationship with the person. Always model accountability and respect, demonstrating the behaviours we want the participant to learn. Managing conflict safely isn't about control. It's about understanding, prevention, and respectful responses that maintain dignity and promote learning.

Speaker 3: Georgie

Using behavioural data to build hope and capacity.

Juggling your admin and the engagement with your participant can be challenging.

As a support worker in the justice space, we're not only required for a high level of engagement with your participant, high level of written case notes and incident reports in a timely manner, come with the job as well. Behavioural data is everything. If we're not feeding back data experiences, incidences, situations, redirection tactics, emergency protocols, if we're not feeding that all back to our behaviour pracs in a timely manner, then we are not supporting our participant in the best way possible.

It's all about respect and transparency. So there's ways that you can be collaborative with your person so that they understand that you're writing really good things about them and that that is part of your job. But if you're just gonna be on your phone and writing beside them and not explaining and not being transparent, they might find that a little bit, you know, the trust might not be there.

Speaker 1: Phoebe

Data might sound technical, but in your role as a support worker, you're engaging with it all the time.

Your daily documentation might seem routine, but it's actually a key part of safeguarding rights and supporting change. Every time you write a case note, complete an incident report, or share observations with the care team, you're contributing valuable data.

Why does it matter?

Because data helps everyone make better decisions. It helps behaviour support practitioners design and adjust plans. It helps care teams monitor progress and predict risk that keeps everyone safe.

It helps participants see their own growth, which builds hope. You might say, "I noticed you stayed calm in that situation today. That's real progress." Good data is timely, objective, and factual.

Use the five Ws, who, what, when, where, and why, to make sure your notes clearly capture what happened. When data is accurate and up to date, it becomes a powerful form of advocacy. It supports decisions about reducing restrictions and promotes community reintegration based on real observed progress. Without this information, it becomes much harder for the care team to make safe, rights-based decisions. This also impacts on your ability to provide safe and effective support.

Supporting people with a disability who have contact with the justice system is complex, but it's also deeply meaningful work. Every day, you're balancing safety, rights, and hope. You're helping people rediscover their strengths, learn new skills to avoid further offending, and build a life with greater independence and dignity.

By keeping empowerment, culture, and development at the centre of what you do, you create the foundation for real, lasting change.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to this important work and for the difference you make in people's lives every day.

SPEAKER: We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Victoria and pay respects to the Elders past and present. We recognise their connection to Country and role in caring for and maintaining Country over thousands of years.



MANDY DONLEY: Hi. My name's Mandy Donley. And I'm the Victorian Senior Practitioner. I'm here today to introduce a suite of brand-new eLearning Modules. This series of eLearning Modules reflects my commitment to supporting the sector, in particular the role of the Authorised Program Officer, or APO, to reduce and eliminate the use of restrictive practice.



They are designed to be the starting point for you to understand the basics of the authorisation processes of restrictive practices in Victoria. The modules have been developed with a focus on supporting the sector to reduce and eliminate restrictive practice. They are underpinned by Kevin Ann Huckshorn's Six Core Strategies to reduce seclusion and restraint.



These are leadership towards organisational change; use of data to inform practice, workforce development; use of specific evidence-based reduction interventions; inclusion of the person and their family and peers; and reflective practice. These eLearning Modules were originally presented to the sector as webinars as part of our Strengthening the APO Role project. However, there were further requests for these webinars to be provided.



So these modules were developed to allow APOs, people with a disability, their families, service providers, and behaviour support practitioners to access on demand. The modules are part of a broader package of complementary supports made available by the Victorian Senior Practitioner, which includes the APO course and themed online workshops, as well as numerous written resources available on the Victorian Senior Practitioner website.



The eLearning Modules available to you include the following videos-- "What are restrictive practices?" "Authorisation process and key roles," "Legislative requirements for the authorisation of restrictive practices," and the "Restrictive Intervention Data System, or RIDS Training."



I trust this series of eLearning Modules will be a great resource for APOs moving forward. For any complex matters, please don't hesitate to contact our office. And once again, thank you for everything you do on a daily basis.



End of transcript.

TASHA HARAN: We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Victoria and pay respects to their Elders past and present. We recognise their connection to Country and role in caring for and maintaining Country over thousands of years.



In this e-learning module, we'll explore what restrictive practices are and how to determine if something would be regarded as a restrictive practice or not. Restrictive practices are any intervention that are used to restrict the rights or freedom of movement of a person.



Under the Disability Act and NDIS rules, there are five restrictive practices that are subject to oversight by the Victorian senior practitioner and regulation by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. These are chemical restraint, mechanical restraint, seclusion, environmental restraint, and physical restraint.



CATHERINE RANSON: When can a restrictive practice be used? A restrictive practice should only ever be used as a last resort when all of the strategies have been implemented. The Disability Act sets out criteria that must be met for a proposed restrictive practice to be used.



A restrictive practice can only be used to prevent the person from causing physical harm to themselves or another person, or destroying property, where to do so could involve the risk of harm to themselves or another person. The use and form of restricted practice is included in the behaviour support plan and must be the least restrictive option as possible in the circumstances.



The restrictive practice cannot be applied for any longer than is necessary, and the use of restricted practice must be included in the person's behaviour support plan unless used as an emergency. For more information regarding the criteria for authorisation of restrictive practices, refer to the regulated restricted practice authorisation checklist on the VSP website.



The authorisation checklist outlines the criteria outlined in the Disability Act and provides some information on how this might look within a behaviour support plan, and what information would need to be provided to show that it meets the criteria.



TASHA HARAN: Chemical restraint is the use of medication or a chemical substance for the primary purpose of influencing a person's behaviour. It does not include the use of medication prescribed by a medical practitioner, the treatment of a diagnosed mental disorder, a physical illness, or a physical condition.



We often see psychotropic medications used as chemical restraint, but medications that are not psychotropic can still be considered a restrictive practice if they are used for behaviour control or if prescribed for reasons other than the treatment of a mental disorder, physical illness, or physical condition.



When you're looking at the purpose of a prescribed medication, some indicators for when it might be considered chemical restraint would be if it's prescribed for aggression, agitation, sedation, or behaviour management. However, this may not always be so obvious. So let's look into how to determine if medication would be regarded as treatment or chemical restraint.



CATHERINE RANSON: When determining whether a chemical restraint would be considered treatment or restraint, there are a few factors to consider. It will be considered treatment if the person has a formal, diagnosed condition that is current and the medication prescribed is clinically indicated for the treatment of that diagnosed condition, or the medication is enabling treatment of mental illness, physical illness or physical condition.



For example, if a person requires medication prior to attending a medical appointment, that would not be regarded as chemical restraint, as it is enabling treatment. To determine if a medication is clinically indicated to treat a particular condition, you can find this information on the consumer medicine information leaflet or on the Therapeutic Goods Administration website, which is a free resource.



TASHA HARAN: When does a medication become restraint? It would be regarded as chemical restraint if it's being used to change or modify someone's behaviour or is prescribed without a diagnosis of a physical disorder or mental health disorder for which the medication is indicated.



For example, if an anti-anxiety medication is prescribed to treat anxiety as a symptom, but there's no diagnosis of an anxiety disorder, it would be considered as chemical restraint.



CATHERINE RANSON: Similarly, if an antipsychotic is prescribed to treat anxiety without an underlying diagnosis that the antipsychotic is formally indicated to treat, it would be regarded as chemical restraint.



TASHA HARAN: It is the APO's responsibility to determine what is or is not chemical restraint. The prescriber is not required to determine the status of their prescription in terms of the Disability Act.



Rather, it's expected that the prescriber will explain the reason as to why the medication was prescribed and what it's being prescribed for. The APO can then use this information to make a determination as to whether it would be regarded as treatment or restraint under the Disability Act.



CATHERINE RANSON: Seclusion is the complete confinement of a person with a disability in a room or physical space at any hour of the day or night where voluntary exit is prevented or not facilitated. It's important to note that doors don't actually need to be locked for seclusion to occur.



If the person is told that they are not allowed to leave the room and it's implied that they won't be allowed to leave, then it would be regarded as seclusion. If the person is physically unable to open the door, it may also be considered seclusion.



A person may have access to a number of rooms in a facility and still be secluded. For example, if they live alone in a house and staff leave the house due to the person's behaviours of concern and the person is unable to leave the house or access the community or interact with staff or anybody else, then that would be regarded as seclusion despite the fact they have access to the whole house.



TASHA HARAN: Environmental restraint is any restraint that restricts a person's free access to all parts of their environment, including items and activities. Environmental restraint can be one of the trickiest restrictive practices to identify, as it covers a broad range of restrictions.



Some are obvious, such as a locked door or a locked cupboard to prevent a person's free access to an area or item. However, some may be less visible, such as when a person is being restricted from an activity or is being supervised for the purpose of preventing their access to areas of the community.



Devices used for the purpose of monitoring to prevent access or address a behaviour of concern are also considered environmental restraint. This includes CCTV, door sensors, and alarms. The NOUS Group environmental restraint resource provides a useful framework when considering what might be environmental restraint.



Five questions are posed about the restriction. What is the person prevented from accessing? Why are they prevented from accessing it? How is the restriction applied? What is the impact of the restriction on clients? When, and for how long, is the restriction applied?



By identifying what the restriction is-- for example, access to food-- rather than focusing on how it is restricted-- for example, a locked cupboard-- it allows the team to identify and implement strategies to reduce the actual restriction.



CATHERINE RANSON: Physical restraints refer to the use or action of physical force to prevent, restrict, or subdue movement of the person's body or part of their body for the primary purpose of influencing their behaviour.



It does not include the use of hands-on techniques in a reflexive way to guide or redirect a person away from potential injury consistent with what could reasonably be considered the person's exercise of care towards a person.



For example, preventing a person from running into oncoming traffic would not be regarded as physical restraint, but holding a person to stop them moving towards someone to take food would be. Physical restraint comes with a significant amount of risk and is rarely approved for use.



It can only be included in a BSP as PRN use. There are a number of physical restraints that are prohibited for use in Victoria. These include prone restraint, supine restraint, pindowns, basket holds, takedown techniques, and restraint that restricts or inhibits respiratory or digestive function, pushing the person's head towards their chest, or inflicting pain or pressure on joints or the person's chest.



The Victorian Senior Practitioner Physical Restraint Direction paper was released in 2011 and updated in 2022. It outlines standards that must be considered before physical restraint is used in relation to authorisation requirements.



TASHA HARAN: Mechanical restraint refers to the use of devices to prevent, restrict, or subdue a person's movement for the primary purpose of behavioural control. This does not include the use of devices for therapeutic or nonbehavioral purposes, or for enabling safe transportation of the person.



As with any other restraint, when considering if something would be mechanical restraint, we need to first determine its purpose for use. There are many devices or equipment that may be considered therapeutic or restrictive, depending on its purpose and how it's used.



Here are some examples of when a device that in other situations may be therapeutic may be restraint. Gloves when applied to prevent someone from biting their hands and breaking skin, a seat belt on a wheelchair that is in place to prevent a person from attempting to get out of their chair, helmets that prevent injury from self-injurious behaviours, such as head banging.



Often, people are unclear if a device may be considered mechanical restraint if it's used for safety. It's important to determine if the safety concern is due to a behaviour of concern that leads to risk of harm to self or others. If so, and the device is used to restrict movement, it would be regarded as mechanical restraint.



CATHERINE RANSON: A device would be considered therapeutic if it is used to assist a person with everyday activities, improve their functional independence, or to help their injuries heal. They must be prescribed by an appropriate professional after a thorough assessment and used for the specific and approved purposes for when the devices were designed.



Examples of this may be adaptive devices or mechanical supports used to achieve proper body position, balance, or alignment to allow greater freedom of mobility that wouldn't be possible without the use of such devices, or mechanical supports or restraints for medical immobilisation-- for example, cast or splint to allow healing.



Ideally, any device that is prescribed for a therapeutic purpose will have guidelines provided by the prescribing professional about its purpose of use, how and when it's used, what training is required for the use, and date of review.



For more information about restricted practices, please refer to the Victorian Senior Practitioner's website. You can also contact the Victorian Senior Practitioner's office with any complex queries.



End of transcript.

CATHERINE RANSON: We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Victoria and pay respects to their elders past and present. We recognise their connection to Country and role in caring for and maintaining Country over thousands of years.



This video focuses on the authorisation process of regulated restrictive practices in Victoria. We will cover the steps of authorisation for restrictive practices by NDIS-registered providers in Victoria, as well as introducing key roles in the authorisation of restrictive practices and their responsibilities.



CONNIE WU: The state of Victoria has adopted an administrative model regarding the use of regulated restrictive practices by disability services. Under this model, an Authorised Program Officer, or APO, must provide authorisation for the use of restrictive practices. The APO is a delegate appointed by the Victorian Senior Practitioner within a service provider who is responsible for the authorisation of restrictive practices implemented by that provider.



Some restrictive practices require additional approval by the Victorian Senior Practitioner following APO authorisation. We'll discuss this in more detail later on. Restrictive practices not authorised for use and implemented by NDIS-registered service provider must be reported as an unauthorised restrictive practice, also known as a URP to the NDIS Quality Safeguards Commission. Therefore, in situations where no behaviour support plan, or BSP, has been developed, or a BSP has been developed but is yet to be authorised by the APO, any restrictive practice implemented would be regarded as unauthorised and require reporting as a URP to the NDIS Commission.



CATHERINE RANSON: Before we step through each stage in the authorisation process, let's understand the important safeguarding responsibilities of the APO, the independent person, NDIS Quality Safeguards Commission, and the behaviour support practitioner.



An APO has a significant and responsible role in safeguarding the rights of people subject to regulated restrictive practices. The responsibilities of an APO are clearly outlined in the Disability Act. An APO is responsible for the authorisation of restrictive practices and should have a well-developed understanding of the legislative criteria that a behaviour support plan proposing the use of restrictive practices must meet.



Therefore, an APO is said to have an administrative role that includes deciding what may or may not be a restrictive practise under the guidance and direction of the Victorian Senior Practitioner and NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Be involved in ongoing discussions with the team. Work collaboratively with key stakeholders, such as the behaviour support practitioner and independent person.



And reviewing and authorising the behaviour support plan, lodging it on RIDS, and seeking evidence of authorisation from the Victorian Senior Practitioner. Critical to the role of the APO is ensuring that the person subject to restrictive practices has a suitable independent person made available to them and who are responsible for explaining the proposed use of restrictive practices to the person.



In addition, it is the role of the APO who informs the behaviour support practitioner if any proposed restrictive practices are refused following review by the Victorian Senior Practitioner and to determine what amendments are required to the behaviour support plan to ensure it meets the legislative criteria.



CONNIE WU: The role of the independent person is another important safeguard for persons subject to regulated restrictive practices, and is unique to the Victorian authorisation process. The role of the independent person is described in the Disability Act, and it is the independent person's role to explain to the person, subject to restrictive practices, the restrictive practice outlined in the behaviour support plan, and that the person has the right to seek a review of the proposed restrictive practices.



The independent person must explain to the person what the restrictive practice is, why the restrictive practice is being proposed, when it's going to be used, and how it's going to be used. The role of the independent person is best suited to someone from the person's social network, someone who, as the name suggests, is independent from the provider that is implementing the restrictive practices and independent from the person that is developing the behaviour support plan.



Examples of suitable independent persons include a family member, a friend, a neighbour, a member of the local club, or anyone in the community that the person might know well. The independent person should have an understanding of the person's communication abilities, know what a behaviour of concern is, understand behaviour support plans and what constitutes a regulated restrictive practice. An independent person is needed when a new behaviour support plan is developed and a restrictive practice is proposed or if a behaviour support plan is reviewed, potentially before that 12-month period, and a new restrictive practice is proposed.



CATHERINE RANSON: An NDIS behaviour support practitioner's role is to complete a behavioural assessment, develop a behaviour support plan, and implement strategies to increase a person's quality of life and support skill building. The behaviour support practitioner should consult with the participant on their supports to ensure their quality of life is the main focus, and therefore reduce the need for restrictive practices. The NDIS Commission expects that a behaviour support practitioner observes the participant with behaviours of concern in all environments, as well as consult and gather information about all aspects of the person's life.



Once the behaviour support plan is developed, it is their responsibility to work with the provider to implement the strategies included. It is critical that the APO and behaviour support practitioner should work collaboratively. This collaboration is crucial to develop a behaviour support plan that is accurate and able to be implemented. NDIS-registered behaviour support practitioners are subject to a set of requirements that are outlined in the NDIS restrictive practices behaviour support rules.



CONNIE WU: The role of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission is to improve the quality of support services provided by registered providers. In terms of behaviour support planning, the NDIS Commission promotes a positive behaviour support approach, focusing on increasing the quality of life for people, and therefore reducing restrictive practices.



The NDIS provides clinical leadership in behaviour support and regulates both practitioners and registered implementing providers to ensure their compliance with regulations. All behaviour support plans written by NDIS-registered behaviour support practitioners must be lodged with the NDIS Commission, regardless of whether they are implemented by a disability service provider or not. The NDIS Commission does not have a direct role in authorisation of restrictive practices but will review plans lodged on PRODA to ensure that they are compliant in their state authorisation process.



CATHERINE RANSON: The role of the Victorian Senior Practitioner is outlined in the Disability Act. The responsibilities of the Victorian Senior Practitioner include ensuring that the rights of people subject to restrictive practices and compulsory treatment are protected and supporting disability service providers to reduce restrictive practices throughout the authorisation process. Once the APO has authorised restrictive practices, the Victorian Senior Practitioner will provide evidence of authorisation for the use of restrictive practices.



Some restrictive practices, such as mechanical restraint, seclusion, and physical restraint, require additional approval from the Victorian Senior Practitioner. This provides an extra safeguarding method. The Victorian Senior Practitioner also monitors the authorisation and proposed use of restrictive practices.



This monitoring process informs data-driven education initiatives, audits, and research. Additionally, the Victorian Senior Practitioner is responsible for supporting implementing providers in recognising and reducing restrictive practices. This support can take the form of working closely with specific providers or providing broader education initiatives.



CONNIE WU: Now that we have discussed the role of key stakeholders, we will discuss how they need to work together in safeguarding people subject to restrictive practices through the authorisation process.



Step one, a service provider must become NDIS registered and completed Module 2A before they can implement restrictive practices. Module 2A assesses an NDIS registered service provider's understanding of restrictive practices and the associated risks as well as the appropriate skills to safely apply regulated restrictive practices. This registration process might take some time, so it's important to plan ahead of time.



Registered service providers should contact the NDIS Commission with any questions relating to registration against Module 2A. An NDIS registered service provider must also register with RIDS, the Restrictive Intervention Data System. This involves registering on both eBusiness and RIDS. They must then appoint an Authorised Program Officer and submit an application to the Victorian Senior Practitioner.



This application must include the qualifications and professional background of the Authorised Program Officer. The Victorian Senior Practitioner will review the credentials of the nominated APO before deciding whether the appointed APO has the relevant skills needed to act in this important role.



CATHERINE RANSON: Step two, development of a behaviour support plan. The implementing provider will need to engage with an NDIS registered behaviour support practitioner. This may be organised via a support coordinator, or maybe family. However, it is vital that the implementing provider engage and work collaboratively with the behaviour support practitioner to develop a behaviour support plan.



This should include discussions relating to the person's goals, skills and abilities, selection of proactive strategies, understanding the behaviours of concern used by the person, and ensuring any restrictive practices being implemented are the least restrictive as possible to prevent harm to the person or others. A behaviour support plan is a live and dynamic document that should be reviewed at regular intervals, or at least every 12 months, or when an NDIS participant's circumstances change.



Examples to change in circumstances include changes to the person's living environment, service provider, proposal to increase restricted practices, or when a new behaviour of concern emerges. The behaviour support plan must be developed in accordance with the NDIS rules and the legislative criteria outlined in the Disability Act 2006.



CONNIE WU: Step three, the Authorised Program Officer reviews the developed behaviour support plan against legislative criteria outlined in the Disability Act 2006. If the APO is not satisfied that the behaviour support plan meets the legislative criteria for authorisation, they should provide feedback to the behaviour support practitioner. Once the Authorised Program Officer is satisfied that the developed behaviour support plan meets the authorisation criteria, the APO must then make an independent person available.



It is the role of the independent person to explain the restrictive practices described in the behaviour support plan and to inform the person subject to the proposed restrictive practices that they have a right to seek a review. The Authorised Program Officer and behaviour support practitioner should work collaboratively in developing accessible information and make this available to the person. This could be in the form of an easy-read behaviour support plan or social story and should be tailored to the person's communication needs.



It is crucial that the person is actively involved in the process. Once the behaviour support plan is finalised, the behaviour support practitioner lodges the plan onto the NDIS Commission portal, known as PRODA. At this point, the APO should be aware of the contents of the plan, as collaboration should have occurred throughout the development of the plan.



The APO then creates a submission in RIDS, lodges a copy of the behaviour support plan, and shares the behaviour support plan with any secondary implementing providers -- that is, other registered service providers implementing any of the restrictive practices identified in the behaviour support plan. The APOs of all implementing providers must identify and authorise the restrictive practices they will be implementing in RIDS.



CATHERINE RANSON: Step four, the Victorian Senior Practitioner will provide evidence of authorisation of restrictive practices or provide additional approval if required. The Victorian Senior Practitioner acknowledges the Authorised Program Officer's authorisation for the proposed use of chemical and environmental restraint by providing a letter of authorisation to be lodged with the NDIS Commission.



If the behaviour support plan contains mechanical restraint, seclusion, or physical restraint, the Victorian Senior Practitioner will also review them against the legislative criteria and provide additional approval. There may be other restricted practices that require additional approval, as per directions by the Victorian Senior Practitioner. Once evidence of authorisation is provided by the Victorian Senior Practitioner, the behaviour support practitioner and the implementing service provider will receive a copy of this letter, which needs to be uploaded to PRODA alongside the behaviour support plan.



CONNIE WU: Step five, administrative review. The independent person or the person subject to restrictive practices can seek a review of the APO's decision to authorise the restrictive practices proposed in the behaviour support plan. The circumstances under which a review can be requested include when the behaviour support plan does not meet the legislative criteria outlined in the Disability Act and if the person does not understand the proposed restrictive practices described in their behaviour support plan.



Once the independent person or participant has informed the APO of their decision, the APO must review their decision to authorise the proposed restrictive practices or notify the Office of the Public Advocate of the person's request for review of the proposed restrictive practices. The independent person must also notify the Victorian Senior Practitioner if these requirements are not met. The Office of the Public Advocate may contact the Victorian Senior Practitioner or lodge an application with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, or VCAT.



CATHERINE RANSON: Step six, reporting to the NDIS Commission. Once evidence of authorisation is received from the Victorian Senior Practitioner, this letter is attached to the behaviour support plan on PRODA, which allows the plan to be activated. The implementing provider may then commence reporting against restricted practices on a monthly basis. The use of any unauthorised restricted practices are considered a reportable incident and must be reported to the NDIS Commission within five days.



CONNIE WU: The flowchart here outlines the process step by step. As you can see, each key role is involved throughout the process. We can also see here that the behaviour support planning process doesn't finish with the authorisation of restrictive practices, but rather continues through the lifetime of the plan.



The practitioner and service provider need to work together to implement strategies included in the behaviour support plan, which will then be reviewed again during the next update within 12 months. For more information about restrictive practices, please refer to the Victorian Senior Practitioner website. You can also contact the Victorian Senior Practitioner's office with any complex queries.

ADAM FINKELSTEIN: We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Victoria and pay respects to the elders past and present. We recognise their connection to Country and role in caring for and maintaining Country over thousands of years. 

[MUSIC PLAYING] 

TASHA HARAN: This e-learning module will be focused on the legislative requirements for the authorisation of restrictive practices. You'll learn about the legislative context regarding the authorisation of restrictive practices in Victoria, how to apply the authorisation criteria outlined in the Disability Act to behaviour support plans, and how to provide feedback on whether the authorisation criteria have been met in behaviour support plans through the development of positive behaviour support strategies. 

Why do we use the authorisation process? It's important to acknowledge that restrictive practices infringe on human rights. The intent of the Disability Act legislation is not to enable the use of restrictive practices. Instead it's to provide a formal framework for the reduction and elimination of restrictive practices. 

We know restrictive practices are not therapeutic. They don't address the underlying factors that cause behaviours of concern. Therefore, we don't want them being used as a long-term response. The use of restrictive practices reduces freedom of movement and decreases quality of life. And the reduction in restrictive practices through the implementation of positive behaviour support allows for improved quality of life. The authorisation process allows us to determine if a restrictive practice is only used when absolutely needed and is reduced and ceased as soon as possible. 

ADAM FINKELSTEIN: Let's have a look at the difference between authorisation and approval. The Authorised Program Officer or APO of the implementing service provider is responsible for the authorisation of all restrictive practices used by their service. They must determine if the proposed use of a restrictive practice meets the legislative requirements of the Disability Act. 

If the behaviour support plan or BSP proposes the use of chemical restraint or environmental restraint only, the Victorian Senior Practitioner will provide written evidence of the APO's authorisation, which is then lodged with the BSP with the NDIS Commission. The approval process is quite similar in the sense that it has the same first step, where the APO authorises the restrictive practices if it meets the requirements of the Disability Act. 

However, if the BSP contains physical restraint, mechanical restraint, or seclusion or any restrictive practice proposed to be used with someone with a psychosocial disability, then it requires additional approval by the Victorian Senior Practitioner. The Victorian Senior Practitioner uses the same authorisation criteria from the Disability Act to assess the proposed restrictive practice as the APO did during authorisation. 

We'll look at this criteria later in this module. If both the APO and the Victorian Senior Practitioner determine that the proposed restrictive practice meets the legislative criteria, evidence of approval will be provided to be lodged with the NDIS Commission. If you're in the space of using restrictive practices and behaviour support plans in Victoria, it's critical that you familiarise yourself with this part of the Disability Act regarding the use of restrictive practices. 

This part includes information about the APO restrictive practices, the powers of the public advocate, the independent person role, and much more. This part provides the necessary requirements before restrictive practices can be authorised for use by disability service providers or registered NDIS providers in Victoria. We'll go through each of these criteria individually. 

But as an overview, a restrictive practice can only be used if: it's necessary to prevent harm, it's the least restrictive option, it's included in the behaviour support plan, it's in accordance with the NDIS behaviour support plan, it's used for no longer than necessary, it's in accordance with the NDIS rules, and all the requirements around seclusion are met. There are also some directions and prohibitions that have been disseminated by the Victorian Senior Practitioner. So all of these will be needed to be met as well. 

TASHA HARAN: Before we go into further detail about the criteria, I want to bring your attention to this document, the Regulated Restrictive Practices Authorisation Checklist. This document clearly outlines each of the authorisation criteria items and how it can be met within a BSP. So let's jump into the authorisation criteria. 

I will refer to all of the criteria as how it's articulated in the Disability Act, which starts with the Authorised Program Officer may authorise the use of a regulated restrictive practice on a person in respect of whom this Part applies if the Authorised Program Officer is satisfied that. So the APO must decide if the criteria is met in full for each restrictive practice, not the BSP as a whole but each restrictive practice that is proposed within that BSP. 

The first authorisation criteria item is that the regulated restrictive practice is necessary to prevent the person from causing physical harm to themselves or to another person. So in a nutshell, a restrictive practice can only be used to prevent harm to themselves or others. 

Now, this might seem obvious. However, this is often something that isn't clearly evidenced within BSPs. An example of this is where the behaviour of concern identified is physical aggression, but there's a locked door proposed for use with no explanation as to why that door is locked. So the proposed use of the environmental restraint in this example would not meet this first authorisation item because there's no demonstration as to how it's in place to prevent physical harm to the person or others. 

Another example of when this authorisation item may not be met is when there's a behaviour of concern listed in the BSP that doesn't actually cause harm to the person or others but rather something that is just challenging for service providers or socially inappropriate. For example, a person regularly pulling out all of their clothes out of their cupboard, this behaviour doesn't actually cause physical harm to themselves or others. So locking the cupboard to manage this behaviour would not meet the authorisation criteria. 

ADAM FINKELSTEIN: The next item in the authorisation criteria is the Authorised Program Officer may authorise the use of the regulated restricted practice on a person if they are satisfied that the use and form of the proposed restrictive practice is the least restrictive option for the person as is possible in the circumstances. Restrictive practices are not therapeutic, and they don't address the function of the behaviour used by the person to meet their needs. 

Restrictive practices can only be used as an option of last resort to allow for positive behaviour support strategies to be implemented. To meet this authorisation item, appropriate non-restrictive strategies must be identified for use before a restrictive practice is proposed. And the restrictive practice should only be used for as little time as possible. 

Response strategies should be listed from least restrictive to most restrictive. This clarifies what response strategies are to be applied first to address the behaviour of concern before using a restrictive practice as an option of last resort. This authorisation item also applies to routine restrictive practices. Consideration must be given to whether the routine use of that restrictive practice is the least restrictive option. 

For example, if a door is locked 24/7, why is that? Is this actually the least restrictive option? Are there points during the day where a staff member is available to engage with the person, and the door doesn't need to be locked during that time? This information should be clearly demonstrated in the BSP. 

TASHA HARAN: The third item of authorisation criteria is the Authorised Program Officer may authorise the use of a regulated restrictive practice on a person if they are satisfied that the use and form of the proposed restrictive practice is included in the person's behaviour support plan. This means that information about what the restrictive practice entails must be detailed in the BSP. Again, this might seem obvious but we often see BSPs where the restrictive practices are only included in the restrictive practice schedule without good detail about what the proposed restrictive practices actually are and how they are to be used. 

So similar to the previous authorisation item, this doesn't just apply to restrictive practices. It also applies to routine practices. The BSP should clearly outline when the proposed restrictive practice is to be used, why it is used, under what conditions it is used, and when it can be removed, ceased, or is not needed. 

In terms of PRN restrictive practices, a clear PRN protocol should be developed for each restrictive practice and made available in the appendix section of the BSP. These protocols should be simple, clear, and easy to follow giving those implementing the restrictive practice a step-by-step guide about what needs to occur before, during, and after using a restrictive practice. 

These protocols should be simple, clear, and easy to follow giving those implementing the restrictive practice a step-by-step guide about what needs to occur before, during, and after a restrictive practice is applied. We highly recommend referring to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission Regulated Restrictive Rractices Guide which provides an example of a PRN protocol template for each restrictive practice type. 

ADAM FINKELSTEIN: The next authorisation item is at the Authorised Program Officer may authorise the use of a regulated restrictive practice on a person if the Authorised Program Officer is satisfied that the use and form of the proposed restrictive practice is in accordance with the person's behaviour support plan. Essentially, this means that the proposed restrictive practice needs to be included in the BSP, and all relevant details should be specified in the plan. 

The proposed restrictive practice must be consistent with information included in the BSP. For example, the restrictive practice can only be used if it relates to an assessed behaviour of concern identified in the BSP. Any proposed restrictive practice must be consistent across the BSP and RIDS submission. The restrictive practice information included in a RIDS submission is what is being put forward for authorisation. So this information needs to accurately match the BSP. 

TASHA HARAN: The next authorisation item is at the Authorised Program Officer may authorise the use of a regulated restrictive practice on a person if the Authorised Program Officer is satisfied that the use and form of the proposed restrictive practice is not applied for longer than necessary. As we mentioned earlier, a restrictive practice should be the least restrictive option and only used as a last resort. This item emphasises that a restrictive practice must only be used for the shortest necessary amount of time. 

The BSP must include details explaining why the proposed restrictive practice is used for the specified time and why this duration is the least amount of time required to prevent harm. For example, if a routine restrictive practice is proposed to be implemented 24/7, the BSP needs to justify why that is the case, and considerations should be made as to whether the restrictive practice could be used for a shorter period of time. 

Similarly, for PRN restrictive practices like seclusion or mechanical restraint, the BSP must specify at what point their use can be discontinued. It's important to evaluate whether a proposed routine restrictive practices can be implemented as PRN, such as using a helmet only when the person shows signs of escalation rather than wearing it all day. 

Including these details in the BSP is crucial, as is often assumed information that the author or familiar staff may know. But clarity is required within the plan to ensure that the restrictive practice can be reduced over time. 

ADAM FINKELSTEIN: Next in the authorisation criteria, is the Authorised Program Officer may authorise the use of a regulated restrictive practice if the Authorised Program Officer is satisfied that the person's NDIS BSP is in accordance with the requirements of the NDIS Restrictive Practice and Behaviour Support Rules if the person is an NDIS participant or a Disability Supports for Older Australians (DSOA) client. The NDIS rules encompass various responsibilities for behaviour support practitioners and implementing providers. 

Both behaviour support practitioners and service providers should familiarise themselves with these rules, as they play a significant role in the Victorian authorisation requirements and implementation of a BSP. Here are some key points to keep in mind. A comprehensive BSP must include a fade out plan for all restrictive practices. 

This fade out plan should include strategies to reduce the need for the restrictive practice, such as skill-building strategies or identifying replacement behaviours. It should also have clear timelines for gradually reducing the use of the restrictive practice. 

Fade out plans should include any required involvement from health professionals, such as medical practitioners or allied health clinicians. NDIS requirements for timelines around the development of interim and comprehensive plans must be met. An interim BSP can only be authorised for up to six months, at which point a comprehensive plan must be developed. The correct NDIS template must be used depending on whether the behaviour support plan is an interim or a comprehensive plan. 

The NDIS rules also outline the definitions of restrictive practices. In Victoria, the Disability Act definitions of restrictive practices align with the NDIS rules. So when referring to restrictive practices in a BSP, these will need to be consistent with the NDIS rules definitions. 

TASHA HARAN: If seclusion is proposed for use, the Disability Act outlines certain provisions that must be met. The person must be supplied with appropriate bedding and clothing, have access to adequate heating or cooling, be provided with food and drink as appropriate, and have adequate toilet arrangements. It's also recommended to use seclusion for the shortest duration possible and maintain frequent observations at least every 15 minutes with detailed monitoring plans, especially when PRN medication is being administered. 

It should be clearly stated in the BSP how the person in seclusion can access or request these items. The authorisation criteria in the Disability Act also requires Authorised Program Officers to comply with the independent person requirements. The APO must ensure that an independent person is available to explain the proposed use of restrictive practice to the participant. 

ADAM FINKELSTEIN: The role of the independent person is explained in our video about the authorisation process and roles. There are other legislative requirements regarding authorisation that are mandated by the Disability Act. The authorisation of restricted practices applies to people who receive disability services, are NDIS participants, or are Disability Supports for Older Australians (DSOA) clients. 

Only providers registered with the NDIS or a state-funded disability service providers need to be listed in the restricted practices schedule in a BSP if they will be implementing a restricted practice. Other individuals or entities implementing restrictive practices, such as families, hospitals, or schools who are not funded for disability support by the NDIS or the department can be listed in the body of the BSP or under a different heading outside the restrictive practices schedule. 

The proposed use of restrictive practices must comply with any other requirements set forth by the Victorian Senior Practitioner, which have been disseminated as directions that can be found on the Victorian Senior Practitioner website. There are existing directions stating that the APO and the author of the BSP cannot be the same person, that the behaviour support plans must be written using either the NDIS Commission or Victorian Senior Practitioner templates without modification and that there are prohibited forms of physical restraint that must not be used in Victoria. 

Other considerations when authorising restrictive practices include: BSPs must be current and recently signed off by the behaviour support practitioner, information in the BSP must be legible. For example, screenshots of medication treatment sheets should not be copied into the restrictive practice schedule. Please ensure that the document is finalised with no track changes or comments. 

[MUSIC PLAYING] 

TASHA HARAN: Adam and I are now going to examine an example of a behaviour support plan and apply the authorisation criteria to it. 

ADAM FINKELSTEIN: Thanks, Tasha. Let's go through what we consider to be a gold standard BSP. This mock BSP has been deliberately designed to be simple and not overly complex. Whether it's a relatively straightforward or a more complex scenario, you can always rely on the authorisation criteria and principles we've covered in this video. 

I also want to clarify that the Victorian Senior Practitioner's office does not recommend the use of restrictive practices. The BSP were presenting here, which includes restrictive practices, is solely for the purpose of applying the Disability Act authorisation criteria within a BSP. We're not endorsing the use of this specific BSP. 

For this example, I'm going to play a behaviour support practitioner who has developed a BSP for an NDIS participant named Anya. Tasha will act as the APO who is considering the authorisation criteria. As you can see here, the behaviour support practitioner is clearly listed on the BSP, which is crucial. We have identified that the APO and the practitioner are two different individuals, which aligns with the direction provided by the Victorian Senior Practitioner. 

In these first few pages, it's important to have the details of the key contacts, such as Anya, family members, other professionals and anyone crucial to the development or implementation of the BSP. The NDIS service provider has been clearly identified as the implementing provider with the service location at 123 Redsway, Melbourne. 

This information should match what is stated in the RIDS submission. Additionally, the authorised reporting officer as mentioned in the NDIS Commission template may be a different person from the APO. It's also important to note that providers who are not implementing restrictive practices should be listed as key contacts rather than implementing providers in the BSP. 

In this example, we have a day program manager listed as a key contact, which is fantastic because we want everyone who is playing an important role in Anya's life to participate in the development of the BSP. Only registered NDIS providers or disability service providers implementing restrictive practices should be listed as implementing providers in the BSP. This applies to families as well. 

So let's move on to the next section, which is the behaviours of concern table. Here we have identified a behaviour of concern, which is the compulsive eating of food. There are details about this behaviour of concern, including the harm caused by the behaviour, high risk settings, triggers, low risk settings, and the function of the behaviour. Additionally, replacement behaviours that meet the function of the behaviour and behavioural goals have been specified. 

TASHA HARAN: When examining this section as an APO, I'm checking that any proposed restrictive practices in the BSP are clearly linked to this behaviour of concern. For example, if seclusion is mentioned as a potential restrictive practice later in the BSP, I'd want to consider whether it's actually necessary to prevent harm in this case. 

ADAM FINKELSTEIN: In the next section we can see I've added a collection of preventative strategies to proactively manage this behaviour and improve Anya's quality of life. When preparing the BSP, I've made sure to consider various aspects about Anya and her behaviour, including regarding Anya's goals, environment, skills, and support needs, as well as risks. 

A useful BSP is an easily accessible and concise document for the supports in Anya's life. I don't need to include extensive paragraphs or complex analyses of factors influencing behaviour here. I included all additional information in the functional behaviour assessment report or a separate document. 

This example is simplified. So information from other professionals involved, such as allied health clinicians or medical practitioners would normally be included. 

TASHA HARAN: As the APO reviewing this BSP from an authorisation perspective, I can see that a restrictive practice would only be used as a least restrictive option to manage the risk of harm given the focus on implementing non-restrictive proactive strategies as regular practice. For instance, it was mentioned earlier in the BSP that a high-risk time for the behaviour of concern is when Anya hasn't had a full or nutritious meal. 

Under the health section, there are details about ensuring Anya has had three nutritious meals following a dieticians plan, which is attached in the appendix, and having food available at all times. These proactive strategies demonstrate that if restrictive practices are used, they're intended to be the least restrictive option. 

It's also important to acknowledge any side effects of medication that Anya is taking that may influence her appetite. It's beneficial to consider alternative approaches rather than immediately resorting to restrictive practice. Because as mentioned earlier, restrictive practices don't address the underlying function of the behaviour of concern. 

ADAM FINKELSTEIN: I've included the routine restrictive practice in this section. I made sure that clear time limits and specific conditions are indicated for its use. The restrictive practice is only implemented overnight when staff support is unavailable, but there's safe food available for Anya to access if she's hungry overnight. 

TASHA HARAN: The authorisation item for using the restrictive practice for the least amount of time necessary and as the least restrictive option are clearly addressed in the BSP here. Considering that the behaviour of concern is only related to taking food out of the fridge and eating unsafe items and it occurs only when staff support is unavailable, the decision to lock only the fridge overnight aligns with the least restrictive approach. However, we're still reviewing the BSP, and the goal is to ensure that the practice is not applied for longer than necessary. 

ADAM FINKELSTEIN: That's right. If I was suggesting keeping the fridge locked at all times, even when staff support is available or when Anya has just eaten a meal, I'd expect that the APO would suggest that this was not the least restrictive option and would not provide authorisation for this use of restrictive practices. The relationship between the APO and the practitioner is critical. There needs to be ongoing conversations as to whether or not a proposed restrictive practice meets the Disability Act authorisation criteria. 

Having clear response strategies is a vital part of the BSP, particularly, when demonstrating if a restrictive practice is required or the least restrictive option to prevent harm. The response strategies outlined here are very basic, and we would expect a more detailed plan with clear escalation cycles or similar approaches. 

As you can see here, staff are able to identify when the behaviour is beginning to escalate and address it safely without the need for a restrictive practice. Now we've come to the restrictive practices schedule, which should outline any restrictive practices implemented by an NDIS provider or disability service provider requiring authorisation. 

TASHA HARAN: As an APO, it's my responsibility to make sure that the details in the restrictive practice schedule match with the RIDS submission. 

ADAM FINKELSTEIN: As we've discussed how a restrictive practice should only be a short-term response to allow for positive behaviour support strategies to be implemented, having a comprehensive fade out plan for each restrictive practice is important. It's also required as a part of the authorisation criteria. This fade out plan outlines who is involved and what actions they will take throughout the process. I've also included a clear timeline for this. 

TASHA HARAN: A fade out plan should go beyond a simple statement that the behaviour of concern will be reduced so then the restrictive practices will be reduced. It should provide detailed steps and demonstrate how the reduction will be achieved. Critical thinking should be applied to explore how these restrictive practices can be gradually eliminated over time, which may involve difficult conversations about the funding model and potential adjustments needed at a system level if individual skill-building techniques are insufficient on their own. 

This is where I as the APO within the service provider and Adam as a behaviour support practitioner would need to work together. So does the BSP meet the authorisation criteria? As an APO, I need to consider whether the restrictive practice is necessary to prevent harm. 

In this case, there's a clear behaviour of concern, and the restrictive practice is directly linked to that behaviour. It's used as a least restrictive option, as we discussed earlier. The kitchen fridge is the only thing that's locked, and it only lasts for the period when Ana cannot be supported overnight. 

All the necessary details regarding the use and form of the restrictive practice are included in the BSP and the restrictive practice schedule. The use of the restrictive practice is not used for longer than necessary. The NDIS rules have been met with a comprehensive plan being developed within six months, and a robust fade out plan has been included. As the APO, I would authorise this plan, which is a start of a 12-month journey with the practitioner to implement the recommendations to reduce and eliminate the use of the restrictive practices. 

ADAM FINKELSTEIN: Developing a BSP and applying the authorisation criteria requires careful consideration. Person-centred planning ensures that the participant's voice remains central in all behaviours support activities and that their goals and aspirations are achieved. The authorisation of restrictive practices interlinks with the key principles of positive behaviour support, increasing quality of life by promoting capable environments and enabling people to meet their needs safely without using restraint. 

[MUSIC PLAYING] 

End of transcript.

ANTHONY LA SALA: We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Victoria and pay respects to their Elders past and present. We acknowledge that Aboriginal self-determination is a human right and recognise the hard work of many generations of Aboriginal people.



In this Victorian Senior Practitioner e-learning module, I'll be taking you through the fundamentals of the Restrictive Intervention Data System, or as we know it, RIDS. Hopefully it will give you a better understanding of your requirements when using the system.



What is RIDS? RIDS is a database that is used to record restrictive practise data for the state of Victoria which provides the function of submitting Behaviour Support Plans for people with disability that are subjected to restraint or seclusion that require authorization by the Victorian Senior Practitioner as per the revised Disability Act of 2006. It also has the capability to record restrictive practises administered to people with disability subjected to restraint or seclusion for state funded clients, which has captured data on restrictive practises since 2007.



It has enabled the Victorian Senior Practitioner to analyse the data and, through research, has been able to make evidence-based change to promote the reduction in the use of restrictive practises for people with a disability in Victoria.



Why should you learn about RIDS? The benefit of understanding what your requirements are in RIDS will reduce the administrative errors, which can hold up the processing of your Behaviour Support Plans. These errors can lead to the Behaviour Support Plans being refused and delayed, thereby increasing your requirements to record Unauthorised Restrictive Practises, or URPs, to the NDIS Commission. In addition to this, while the data is collected in RIDS, it has the capability to inform and support clients via various reporting available on the system.



I'm Anthony La Sala, the systems manager for the Victorian Senior Practitioners Restrictive Intervention Data System. We will, over the course of this module, help you get a better understanding in getting access to RIDS as a new provider, how to register as an APO, create a person, add an NDIS BSP for approval, how to add a Secondary Implementing Provider, what to do if the BSP refused, how to add a state-funded plan, how to access reports from RIDS.



The module is segmented into different sections to allow existing users to skip to areas of learning they require and/or reinforce certain aspects of RIDS they've forgotten about. We hope the following Victorian Senior Practitioners e-learning module will help you understand your requirements of the Restrictive Intervention Data System.



New Organisation and APO Approval. To get access into the RIDS system, you need to be NDIS registered. You will need to have access into the eBusiness Portal. That portal looks after many applications, RIDS being one of them. And once you're in the system, you can go in and register your APO.



So the process is pretty convoluted, you may think, as you can see on this particular flowchart. And it can be a bit confusing. So what I'll do is I'll take you through each individual step. But the first step is, are you registered in the NDIS? If you're not, you need to be registered and come back.



Once you are registered in the NDIS, you need to have access to eBusiness. If you haven't got access into eBusiness, you need to register in eBusiness, and then come back. Once you've done that, you can then access the RIDS system and request access as an APO.



The NDIS process, unfortunately, I can't help you on that. But you need to go to this website to register your Organisation in the NDIS with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. You will require eBusiness access to get access to the RIDS system. You need to call the 1300-799-470 number. On the first set of prompts, select 1 to get eBusiness Support. On the second set of prompts, select number 4 to speak to the eBusiness Administrator.



They'll send you through some information for you to fill out in regards to eBusiness. There is an agreement to be completed. Complete the eBusiness Agreement. Send it back to the eBusiness Administrator. And they can confirm and create the actual system. Once you're registered, you'll be able to access the RIDS system.



The RIDS registration process involves you going into the RIDS system after you've got access into eBusiness. The application will be showing on the portal. Once you've clicked on that, you can click on the Register Provider option.



When you click on the Register Provider option, you can actually register the provider details. Once you've done that, you can register at least one outlet. And then, once you've confirmed all the provider details, you will get approval from the Victorian Senior Practitioner.



Once you have access to the RIDS system, you will need to have a provider authority. The provider authority is a person that actually approves the APOs in the RIDS system. So they should be a CEO, director, or a general manager. And once that request has been made, it will come through the Victorian Senior Practitioner's Office for approval.



If you are not one of the three, which is a CEO, director, or general manager, you can delegate that role. And you'll need to send an email to the RIDS Helpdesk. Those details will come through at the end of this module.



So the APO Approval. So this can be a bit convoluted also. There's a lot of steps that need to go through. So you can see confusion on the page again. Let's go through the process to apply to be in APO.



So the applicant submits the request via the RIDS system. It goes to the Provider Authority. And if you're already an APO at that Organisation, you'll be approved. Otherwise, it still needs to go through the Provider Authority, and they will assess if you need to be approved.



If the Victorian Senior Practitioner doesn't approve it, you'll get an email to that, stating you're being refused. Otherwise, you'll get an email saying you're being approved. So if the applicant has already had access to the Organisation as an APO, the request will go to the Provider Authority.



The Provider Authority will either reject it or approve it. If they refuse it, they'll get an email, and it will be a direct approval. And then the APO will have access to that Organisation. There's no requirement to go to the Victorian Senior Practitioner.



Getting Started-- Person Profile. So when you come into the RIDS system, this is the landing page. There are information references on the screen, on the landing page. There is also important information on the left-hand side of the screen, which you can actually download as documents and whatnot in there.



But you will need to actually have a person to put a BSP against. So the first place of call is the Person Profile, but I'll just explain these other areas. We've got the Main Features area, we've got the Reporting area, and we've got Support Functions. So in Reporting, there are reports in the system. And in the Support Functions is where you need to request additional access.



So in the Person Profile screen is where you actually create a new person. You will see that there's the provider, your provider, and service outlets. If you have access to one or more access, they'll list the two. But if there's only the one access, there will only be one outlet showing, and you won't have a dropdown.



So if we go to the top outlet, it will show you all the actual people at those outlets. And you can see there's Person A and there's Person C. So they reside at those two different outlets. So if we go to the other outlet, it is only the one. So you see Person B sitting in there.



But if you wanted to create a new person in the system, then you click on New Person. And you select where you want that person to be at, which particular outlet. And Continue. So you'll need information here. So the CRIS reference number and the NDA number are not mandatory, but the first name and the last name, the gender, date of birth are.



So you put their first name in, their gender, their date of birth, and you go Next. What the system does now, it goes through and it searches for a duplicate person. If that person already resides in the system, it will come up with a warning.



And it may be that person has a common name, like Peter Smith. But you can check that by having a look at their date of birth. And their dates of birth here are different. So if it's not a duplicate, you can continue, or you can edit the duplicate.



But at this point in time, I would go back and search for the person in the system so you can share them. It's important that you do do that. Otherwise, you can create a duplicate. If you do create a duplicate, it will come through to the system administrator and myself, and we'll review it. And we will delete that record and notify you of that. So be sure that you do do that and make sure that you haven't got the wrong information being put into the system.



So let's go back and try to find Person D in the system. It actually asks you for one of these things or two of these things. But like I said, the CRIS number is not required, but you can actually have the first name and last name. So if we put in Persona D in the system, and we search for them, you can see Person D is actually sitting at Provider B. We're at Provider A.



And when I click on Person D, it gives me this information. I can request access to them or request a transfer. Because the BSPs are shared, and they're actually added by the APO when they're loaded, you'll get access to them via that method.



So if you are the provider, that is, the lead provider, you request transfer, you put the actual outlet that you want to transfer them to, you say Yes to that. And what will happen is an email will go to the APO of the other Organisation, they'll approve that transfer, and you'll become the lead on that Organisation.



So that's how you actually transfer a person from one Organisation to another Organisation. So let's go back and create a new person. So if we click on New Person again, and we'll put in a new person, Continue. And once again, we'll put some information that's required.



Most of the fields are mandatory, as I said, but the CRIS and the NDA numbers are not required. So we'll put a person in. And any fields that are a date or a time, you can put the number in, and it will change to the date field.



And it asks you for more information around the client. So what's the country of birth? That defaults to Australia, but that can be changed to all the countries around the world. The Indigenous status-- there was four selections there. If they are culturally and linguistically diverse, we can click that.



Now, this treatment plan requirement is not required for most NDIS participants. If you have one of those, I will refer you to another e-learning module, but not this particular one. So click on No for this particular instance.



So what's the disability? So there's a range of six or seven there at the moment. So we'll put in intellectual disability. And you do require to put in a secondary disability group. So it can be none. And you click on the Save option. And that's how you create a person in the system.



Fairly straightforward. And you can see that they're in the system now. But if you wanted to edit that information, you can click on that Edit option, and you may require to edit that person's information in regards to-- they may no longer reside at that service, or they are no longer receiving restrictive Practises.



So you can deactivate that person by clicking on the Deactivate option down the bottom, and it will actually ask you why it's being deactivated. You can see Deceased or [INAUDIBLE] for one of the reasons. So that's what's on the system at the moment for the deactivation. But on this occasion, we won't do that. We'll just go back and continue on. And go back again. And that's how you create a person in the system.



Adding a BSP for Authorization. When a Behaviour Support Plan you're sending to the office to be authorised, it can take different paths. It can be refused, it can go via Secondary Implementing Provider, and it can also be authorised. So it can be a little bit confusing.



So what I'll do, I'll take you through the individual steps of the flowchart. So when a plan goes to get authorised, it can be shared with other implementing providers. If it's not shared, an email will go to the Victorian Senior Practitioner for approval.



They will review it. And if it's approved, an email will go to the Behaviour Support Practitioner and the APO with a letter of authorization. So a BSP refusal, the plan is sent in by the APO. It goes to the Victorian Senior Practitioner if it's not shared by another independent provider.



They will review it. If it's been refused, an email will go to the APO and the Behavioural Support Practitioner. The APO can discuss with the Behaviour Support Practitioner plan, and it will have to be resubmitted.



If the Behaviour Support Plan is a secondary approval, once again, it doesn't need to go to another APO for another provider. The other provider will get an email saying, please approve. They will review it. They'll tick off any restrictive Practises that are required from their service outlets.



If they approve it, it'll go to the Victorian Senior Practitioner. Once again, it will be reviewed. If it's approved, an email will go out to all the APOs Behaviour Support Practitioner with the letter of approval.



The same thing happens in the case of a rejection. It goes the other way. If there is a requirement for a secondary provider to approve the plan and they refuse it, the plan will go to the secondary provider for approval. They may not be required to be on the plan. They can actually refuse it, and they can refuse it.



When they do refuse it, they'll actually send an email back to the actual practitioner, and they'll have to discuss it and resubmit that plan. So they are the different paths you can take when a BSP has been authorised and/or refused.



Lodgement of NDIS BSP. OK. So now we've created the person in the system, the next logical step will be to add a Behaviour Support Plan. You can see here there's a Behaviour Support Summary there on the bottom, and there's also status history. And it tells you who created the person in the original aspect or if they've come from another Organisation.



But in the Behaviour Support Plan Summary, it tells you Current, Authorised, and Archived. The system archives Behaviour Support Plans after two years, or 48 months. So that can be found in that section. And obviously, there's nothing in there.



There are no current plans in this particular person's file because we haven't created one, and he's a new person in the system. So we'll add a BSP. The next option we have here is, is it an NDIS client or participant, or is it a state-funded? So it's an NDIS, which most people will be accessing the system for.



Between the two plans here, we've got comprehensive and interim plans. A comprehensive plan is created for 12 months. An interim plan is created for six months. And it's to cover the Behaviour Support Practitioner while they get to know the client, and then they can write a comprehensive plan.



So the requirements for both of these plans are the same, except one can only go for six months, the interim plan, and the other one goes for 12 months, which is the comprehensive plan. So click on that. And then OK. And it'll give you a template to complete.



So it's fairly straightforward. A lot of the fields are dropdowns, and there's not a lot of requirements for typing, except for this page, where you need to put information in. So the start date can only be a start date from today. So you can't backdate plans, and plans obviously can't go greater than a year.



So we'll go from-- we'll start a plan that we've received that's going to start on the 1st of August. And we'll create a plan that goes for 12 months. So we'll go to the 12 months option. So I've got a 12 month plan.



It does ask you, was the person with disability or guardian consulted in the planning of the plan? That's part of the legislation that's required. It will ask for the Independent Person. An Independent Person is someone that is independent of the Organisation.



These will be gone into in more depth in the other modules presented by the Victorian Senior Practitioner, so we'll just put one in for now. We do need their contact number because we do contact the actual Independent Person to see if they were actually involved in the planning of the plan.



OK. So we'll need the actual Behaviour Support Practitioner's name. So this goes on the letter to the Behaviour Support Practitioner when the actual plan is either refused or approved. And the only way we can get it to them, basically, is via the email.



So we do need the correct email. If you don't have the correct email, they will not receive the letter of authorization or refusal. So it's important you get this right. We have had calls in regards to this not people receiving letters of acceptance or refusal. So make sure you do get this right in the system.



So click on the Next option. And it asks for some more information. So all this information is contained on the Behaviour Support Plan that will need to be attached in the system. So what is the Behaviour of concern? You can see there's six options there. There's a harm to self, harm to others, and combination of harm to self with destroying property and others.



So we select one of those six options. And we need to add the restrictive Practises that are contained on the plan. So click on Add Restrictive Practises. So there are a couple of types. There's PRN, or as-required medications, or restrictive Practises, and there's routine. The routine, obviously, are the medications or Practises that are given on a daily basis.



So we'll put an example of all of these in, just to show you how it works. So the chemical restraint, that actually asks you for a routine chemical. We say Add. So we have a dropdown list here, which we need to fill out. So we put in the spelling. So we'll put in Valium. And a list will appear down below.



You are required to select off the list because the system doesn't trust your spelling. We'll give you a bit of information around the groups and the generic names of the actual medication in this instance. You put in the dosage, the measure, frequency, how frequent is it given, and how it is given, the route.



When you click OK, you can see it appears there on our list. And we can add another one if there is another routine medication. So once again, we start typing in the actual medication. And you can see the spelling references come up. We click on the actual medication. So [INAUDIBLE].



Once again, it's the same thing. What's the dosage? And you can see we've added another medication. So see, as you put them in, it actually adds them to the grid above. And if we're happy with that, we can save them, or we can go remove them or edit them-- right, sorry. To the right of them.



OK. So now, we can add the other types of restrictive Practises. We can add the PRN for a chemical restraint. So I'll just put in Valium. Once again, selecting off the list. And it actually asks you-- instead of the frequency, it actually asks you, how many times a day is it going to be given at the very most?



And we save that restrictive practise. And once again, you can see it added to the top there, and it's added to the list of medications for chemical restraint. So I'll go through now and put in some other restrictive Practises. They're slightly different, but they work pretty much the same way with different requirements.



So for mechanical restraints, it's the same thing. It's a routine. We're going to click on Add. It gives us a range or different types we can select. We can select bedrails, wheelchairs. So we say, we're going to disable the wheelchair, for instance, and we're going to disable it at lunch time. So we'll put in 12:10, and we'll finish at 1 o'clock. This is a 13-hour-- 24-hour clock, should I say. Click OK.



And you can see, it's added there. We can add other mechanical routine restraints if you wanted to. And we just click on Save Restrictive Practise, and it's added the wheelchairs there. So we'll continue on and put a couple more different types of restrictive Practises.



So I'll put in PRN, or as-required seclusion. Seclusion asks you for some information. So there's free text. So how are you secluding this person? So we're going to lock them in their room. And the period we're going to be doing that for.



So this is all part of the plan that's been created by the Behaviour Support Practitioner. So it should be straight out of their plans. So we can add another restrictive Practise. And this time, we're going to be putting in an environmental restraint. So we'll put in a routine for environmental.



So Add Routine. So we'll just scroll down the page and show you the screen. So we've got, what is the person prevented from accessing? So there's a range of tick boxes, and you can put in multiple. And it's the same, what is the restricted-- or how is the restriction applied?



So we do have a bit of issues in regards to people putting in this particular restraint because they may have multiple environmental restraints. And they will put in, oh, he has food and drink, and he has a locked cupboard or fridge. But he also has an external area, and he has supervision for the same period.



But that gets a bit confusing when you put and you look at the actual restrictive Practise because they're all bunched together and hard to read. So I'll just show you what the outcome will happen in that instance.



And is restricted Practise required as part of the court or tribunal order? You say, no. You say, OK. And you can see it's all lumped in. Locked cupboard, fridge, pantry supervision. It's not very clear in regards to what we should be trying to work out what this person has if they're individual types of environmental restraints.



So I'm going to remove that and show you how you should be doing it. So once again, I'm going to add another one and show you how it's done. There's no additional work, it's just in and out a couple times. So food and drink. Refrigerator.



We're going to put it in there from 10:00 to 12:00. So we're going to add that. So you can see it's showing me what I've put in there. Locked cupboard and locked fridge/pantry. So add another one. So instead of bunching them all together, we can put it in like this.



OK. And you can see it's easier to read. It's not all bunched together. So that would be the better way and the recommended way of putting in environmental restraints, if there's more than one, for that particular person. You can see how it's logged in here also. It says, food and drink for that period, then external area for that.



If it was all together, it would be all bunched up, and you wouldn't know what was what. So that was the best way to do it. And the last one I'll put in is physical restraint, and that can only be put in as a PRN. So if I click on the Routine option, you'll see that I can't click Physical Restraint.



But as a PRN, I'm able to engage that particular restrictive Practise. And I can actually put in the different types or the type of restraint that's being applied in a particular instance. So physical hands. And we don't encourage use of physical restraint, but that's the option that's been submitted by the practitioner.



We save the restrictive Practise. And you can see that I've got a grid here. And it's showing me what I'm going to send off for approval to the Senior Practitioner. So my next option is to click on the Continue Authorization Process.



So at this point in time, it actually asks me, are there any other providers? Now, going back to the slide that was demonstrated earlier-- not the slide, the actual flow chart showing if other implementing providers are engaged, this is how you actually do the sharing of a plan if there is another. If there isn't, you click on No, and you submit it for approval.



But in this instance, I'll show you how to share another provider. So click on the Yes option. So it gives us a alphabet, basically. So where is this other outlet that needs to be joined? This person needs to have a joined plan. So click on X. And we're going to say, we're going to join that Provider B.



And what's the address of Provider B? Turtle Way. So those two have been selected. So what happens here, we click on Add the Implementing Provider. So it actually says, you're going to be joining and sharing the information. You click on Yes. And this is a confirmation.



You can just click off that confirmation. And you can see down the bottom here-- so you can see here from the grid down below, we've got X Learning Provider B. Turtle Way. So we've not completed the actual sharing of this BSP yet. We need to click on the Select option and apply the selection.



And you'll see down here a tick will appear under the Sharing option. That is confirmation that it's been shared. So we've done that. And you can see at the top here, if I scroll up to the top of the page, you'll see also it's sitting under the Shared By under the Behaviour Concern area.



So in the actual grid of all the actual restrictive Practises, which is just here, you can see that there's all the restraints. And it says it's being used by Provider A. So these are all the ones that we're committed to. They're all being linked. So they're all being shared by this particular provider.



So we're happy to go here. But what we need to do is now add an attachment. So we click on Add Attachment. So we need to attach a document because you can't submit a plan without attaching a document. So we'll just go to put in a description of it.



So when you get the green button there, you can actually save. You can also remove it if you've clicked on the wrong one, obviously. So click on the Save option. And that'll append that to the plan. So we've now got a plan that's been attached to the plan. So we're right to go.



So now we've got the options down the bottom here. You can add another Behaviour support-- Behaviour concern, should I say, or another attachment. At this point in time, we can just send it off to be Authorised. So click on Save and Authorise.



So it does double-check to makes sure that you have actually added any additional implementing providers. Your plan will be refused if you haven't put the implementing provider and the attachment text. BSP has got an implementing provider on it.



So once again, just scroll up the page there. You'll see, at the very top, Shared By. So you've been successful in sharing that plan. So it's OK to say Yes and move forward. So what will happen now, that plan will go off to the secondary provider to be approved, and they can cherry pick the actual restrictive Practises that are in the system for them. So you can see now-- let's come back out-- you've been successful. We've got a Shared By on the BSP there, and it's now pending.



Secondary Provider Approval. So let's go back and do that. So we'll come back in. We're going to Provider B. We'll come back in as the APO. So an email will say, go to your To-Do Items. I'm going to my To-Do Items.



And in there, you can see Person H sitting in there. And it's waiting for approval. Click on the Select option. That will bring up the plan. So you need to select, as a secondary provider, minimum of one restrictive Practise. So if you're not doing any of these sort of things and you're only administering the Valium in the middle of the day, click on the Valium, and you link that.



You need to click on the Link option. Even though the tick's sitting in there, you need to click on the Link option. You'll see now that Turtle Way Is now sitting under that particular Practise. So you're now ready to go. You click on Authorise.



And that email will now go to the Victorian Senior Practitioner. It will say, there's a BSP that needs to be approved. And that will be in there for them to approve. And that's how that works.



Victorian Senior Practitioner Approval. So when a BSP has been Authorised by the APO, an email will go to the BSPQuestions inbox, and it will go to the To-Do Items list for the Victorian Senior Practitioner to review and Authorise or refuse. So basically, I'll just show you what is on that process or in that process.



So we have the Approval and Authorization option. So if it has a mechanical seclusion or physical restraint, they will go through the checklist, and they do go through the checklist with the other medications and the environmental type restraints. But they need to ensure that the checklist has been fulfilled.



So in this scenario, if they click on a No option, they will put through a comment. And if you do have a no, the actual BSP will be refused. So when the BSP has been refused, it will actually send through an email to the APO and also the Behaviour Support Practitioner. And in that email, there will be an attached letter.



The letter will state in the checklist in regards to what has actually happened in that space and what you need to address to resubmit a plan. With the authorization, it will just be an authorization letter, and that will be attached to the actual BSP. If it has been refused, there will be a commentary also in regards to why it has been refused, and that will be actually contained in the actual BSP email refusal.



So we'll reject this one. What will happen is an email will go through for refusal, and the refusal reasons will need to be addressed before you can resubmit. So how do you deal with a refusal? I'll take you through in the next section.



What to do if a BSP is refused. When you receive the email of refusal, you need to define the person that has been refused. So go to the Person Profile and find the person in the system that has been refused. On this occasion, it was Person H.



When you select that one, you can see there there's one that's been rejected. Click on the View option. It brings up the plan. And what you need to do is Create and Copy. This will create a copy of the plan. It will ask the question to confirm that you want to create a new version of the plan. Click OK.



It'll bring through all the records that are required, but you will need to put the dates of the Behaviour Support Plan back in. You will also need to re-establish the actual restrictive Practises that were on the plan. So you need to select on the actual restrictive Practises.



Make sure that you click Link so they are now linked to your outlet. And you'll see them appear here under Used By. And if the plan was shared, which it was on the last occasion, we need to re-establish that link also. And you can see at the top here, under Shared By, that hasn't been shared with the other provider.



Apply the selections. Once again, there is that sharing tick box that will appear. And you'll see at the top the actual e-learning Provider B has been shared. So at this point here, we need to put the BSP on again. And the reason why we're putting that on again is it may have changed through the directions from the office.



So you need to put that back on again. We'll put the corrected Behaviour Support Plan on. And once you've done that, you'll see that all the information is on there. So you can now, once again, Save and Authorise and get that approved by the Victorian Senior Practitioner.



Once again, it confirms, or wants you to confirm, that you have added the other provider. And we can see that it actually has been. So we can now continue. Click on the Yes option.



And once again, the process of emails going out to the Victorian Senior Practitioner will go on. You'll see that it's pending. And it's ready to go and be approved by the VSP or the Victorian Senior Practitioner.



Pending Status on a BSP. So what to do when your scenario is as pending. You'll see there's a Pending status against the actual plan. So we've actually put this plan through and we're wondering, why is there a holdup?



So if we go back into the plan and look at the plan and click on the Edit option, or View if it's in a View status, it'll open the plan up. Down the bottom of the plan, you'll see an option that says Authorizations. When you click on the Authorization option, you will see that it gives you the status of where the plan is at.



So you can see here that Joe Bloggs, which is the APO of the secondary provider, still needs to approve this plan. So that's where the holdup is. It does datestamp when the plan was submitted and when it's been Authorised.



So you've got a record of when it was submitted to the office, and you can see where the holdup is. So that's all good. So we'll just go back, and we'll now wait for the approving of the plan from the Victorian Senior Practitioner.



State Funded Plans. As a provider, you may need to submit a State Funded Plan for approval. Now, a State Funded Plan is normally a plan that is for a person that hasn't got NDIS funding or is not an NDIS participant. So the way you put that in, it's very similar to the NDIS, but there's more details required.



So you click on Add a BSP, click on the State Funded Plan, and OK. And it brings up a different template. And the details in the plan are required to submit the plan for approval. All the fields here are mandatory. So there's quite a few in here, and I'll just take you through them.



So we need to have a date. Obviously, the date criteria is the same with other plans. It has to go for up to a year. It can't go greater than a year. And it can't be a date prior to the day of submission. So we'll just put a date in.



It does require the independent person, the same with the other one. It does require a plan to have an independent person. The contact number. Once again, was the guardian consulted or the person with disability. And it's just a reminder here, has a Functional Behavioural Assessment been carried out?



And it takes you into the realms of more information in regards to the template requirements. So it does require as mandatory history, health, and communication. So I'll just put in some information in those fields. But the other fields are not required and they're not-- well, they are required, but they're not mandatory.



So we have History, Health Communication, Likes and Dislikes, Sensory, Life, Dreams, and Aspirations, and Other. There's always an Other option throughout the plan. And it's important to note that if you have got a lot of information, like a Sensory Assessment, you don't need to cut swabs of information into these boxes.



You can actually add them as an attachment. And in this box, you can say, please refer to the attached Sensory Assessment. So I'll go into the next option. So what it does there, it actually saves what's being put in that section. You do require, once again, what the Behaviour is. So there's the six options-- harm to self, harm to others, and a combination of that with destroying property.



A description of the Behaviour, which is not required in the actual NDIS because it's contained in the attached plan. But then, again, it actually asks for more information here. So all this information is normally on an attached NDIS plan. But given that it's a State Funded Plan, you may require to put this in.



So you'll have a dropdown for each tab. So you can have the communication requirement, and you need to put a descriptor in here. And all these tabs work the same way, but you can actually add additional triggers or additional functions by clicking on the Add Trigger option.



And you put in the activity. And once again, that's the requirement for each one. So when you click on the next tab, you'll see that it's the same sort of setup. There is a dropdown, a requirement for the description of what you selected, and you can add additional.



There is a plus sign against each box so you can only see three lines. But if you click the plus sign and you're typing away and you want to see more information, that plus sign will allow you to see 15 lines of information, and a scroll bar will appear if that's required.



So as you are clicking on each one of these boxes-- or, sorry, tabs-- they actually save into the system what you've actually put through. So you don't lose your information. So I'll quickly complete these because these are all the same in the way they function. But they are all required as a mandatory field as part of the submission of a State Funded Plan.



So we get to the Restrictive Practise tab, and you will see a very similar screen if you've been through the start of this e-learning module. So there is a requirement to have an emergency or routine. So once again, you can see the boxes that are available for routine.



And I'll just quickly put in a routine medication. And you'll see, it's exactly the same as is a requirement to complete all these fields. So once again, it works exactly the same as an NDIS plan. So you need to select off the actual box and the information around what's required for that particular medication.



There is a subtle difference. It does require you to put in a prescriber who prescribed the medication and their name. Once you've put that in, there is a further requirement in regards to, how does the use of this restrictive Practise reduce the risk of harm to the person and/or others? So once again, there is a requirement for information there.



So these are all mandatory fields. So if you do try to save or push this one through, it'll come up with a yellow box, and it'll tell you you need to fill out the required fields. So I'm clicking on the OK. So I've saved that requested Practise, and it's now going to be sitting under that tab, as you can see here.



And it's now all in the actual plan. So at this point in time, we need to move to the next part, which is actually add people involved. When you're adding the people involved, there is a select provider or enter external person. So when you click on Select Provider or Staff, it actually looks at actually who's in the actual system.



You can put down the role and where they sit. Click OK. It'll add it to the list. If it's an external person-- so if it's Dr. Harry Who on this occasion-- I need to find the role. So he's a doctor and medical professional. And you can see, they're adding the actual information.



There is a requirement also for team coordination and review. These formulate a good quality plan to have all this information in. And you can click on the Save and complete the BSP. And you can see I've got most of my fields in. You can add an attachment, but the attachment requirement is not mandatory, where it is in the NDIS.



And at this point, you can save it and come back to it and complete it. And you can then save and submit it When you click on Save and Submit It, it should go through and be ready for approval. And once again, it's pending, waiting approval from the VSP. So that's how you put in a State Funded Plan.



Reporting available on RIDS. So if you wish to get some reporting out of the RIDS system, there is the Reporting function on the front landing page, under the Reporting tab. Click on the Reporting tab. You'll see End of Month Reporting, Standard Reports, and Custom Reports. So under Standard Reports, you'll see Reports.



When you click on the Reports option, you will see a suite of reports that have been developed. These are reports that are-- we like to call them Canned Reports because the reports are generated by the system and then easily accessed. These reports are updated overnight. So you can run these reports.



But anything put in on the day will not be in the reports. You'll have to wait for the following day to see those reports. There's quite an interesting suite of reports in here, so I encourage you to go and have a look at these reports. And one particular one I encourage to go to is eBSP Summary and Details Report.



So we'll go to the eBSP Summary and Details Report because it's an interesting report, and it does give you an idea of what sort of BSPs are due over the period of 12 months. So we'll just put in-- you can select for different service outlets. I'm going to select all the outlets, and this is going to give me a view of all the actual BSPs in the actual system.



So click on the View Reports, and it brings up a graph. And in that graph, it'll actually have all the BSPs that are due over the year. And you can see there's quite a few in here because this is the actual system administrator's view. But there's stuff in here where you can actually see the current plans that have been Authorised.



There's no current plans. So you can actually go down to an outlet level. So if you wanted to look at one outlet, you can actually see what plans are due and when they are due. There's quite a few there in this scenario. So if you click on the actual-- or hover over one of the actual columns, you'll see the hand come up.



And when the hand comes up, you can click on that, and that'll drill down, and it will show you whatever the number is of actual plans that are awaiting approval. And it's the same here. If you've got a whole year of plans, you can click up here, under the underlined number there. If you click on that, it'll bring up all the plans that are available for you.



So I do encourage you to have a look at the reports. And this report is quite good if you're trying to manage what sort of plans are coming through, how to chase up Behaviour Support Practitioners for plans because they can take a little while to get plans together. So it's a good little plan to have.



The system does send out alerts to APOs in regards to Behavioural Support Plans and when they're due. It looks forward 120 days, and an email does go out to the APOs and says, well, over the next 120 days, these people at these outlets are required BSPs.



So it'll help you get in line in regards to getting people organised, Behaviour Support Practitioners organised, and it'll also help you in regards to not having to report URPs, or Unauthorised Restrictive Practises, to the Commission because you haven't got a plan in place. Once again, have a look at the actual reporting that's available, and hopefully they can help you out in looking after the client.



Resources. As mentioned throughout the module, the RIDS Data Team can be contacted via the RIDS Helpdesk email if you have any technical questions about the RIDS and its use. If you have a restrictive Practise questions, please email the RIQuestions email.



If you have questions regarding the Behaviour Support Plans, please email the BSPQuestions email. For all other correspondence or questions to the Victorian Senior Practitioner, you can email the VictorianSeniorPractitioner email.



I also encourage you to visit the Victorian Senior Practitioner website, where you can find information around the Victorian Senior Practitioner annual reports, publications, and other research. Thank you for joining this Victorian Senior Practitioner e-learning module. I hope it was helpful to you.



End of transcript.