From Risk to Rights: Reframing Restrictive Practice in PBS Services
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Too often, restrictive practices are introduced as a response to risk. But Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) teaches us to start somewhere else: with rights, autonomy, and what matters to the person.
⚖️ Start with Human Rights
In PBS, restrictions are never routine. They should be:
- Clearly time-limited and regularly reviewed
- Proportionate and the least restrictive option
- Only in place if they protect the person’s rights — not just manage organisational risk
Reframing starts with purpose: why are we doing this, and whose needs are being met?
🧩 Make Rights Part of Your Culture
To embed a human rights approach in PBS:
- Train staff to ask: “Is this respectful? Is this necessary?”
- Involve people in designing alternatives to restrictions
- Use language that prioritises autonomy — not control
Every restriction is a dignity issue. Treat it that way.
📣 What Commissioners Want to Hear
In your tender, show how you:
- Minimise restrictions through proactive, personalised strategies
- Use co-production to develop less restrictive alternatives
- Train staff to balance safety with dignity and rights
This isn’t about sounding compliant — it’s about demonstrating culture change.