This guidance has been produced to assist registered providers of designated centres for people with disabilities and staff working in these centres to focus on quality improvement in the area of restrictive practice. Providers should use this guidance to promote a care environment that is free from restrictive practice, and to assess the use of restrictive practices in their centres with a view to reducing or eliminating their use.
Search Filters
Guidance on restrictive practice (DCD)
This self-assessment questionnaire has been developed by the Chief Inspector of Social Services within the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to aid service providers to prepare for the Chief Inspector’s restrictive practice thematic programme.
The Quality Improvement Plan is specifically designed for use in the thematic inspections of restrictive practices in designated centres for people with disabilities. This document should be used in conjunction with the self-assessment questionnaire for restrictive practices. Once a provider or person in charge has completed the self-assessment questionnaire, this plan provides an opportunity for the provider and person in charge to target areas for improvement under each of the eight themes. This quality improvement plan is not required to be submitted to the Chief Inspector with the self-assessment questionnaire, but will be reviewed during the inspection phase of the programme.
The assessment-judgment framework for thematic inspections of restrictive practices is specifically designed for use in the thematic inspections of restrictive practices in designated centres for older people. This programme of inspections is focused primarily on the National Standards for Residential Services for Children and Adults with Disabilities (2013).
The Office of the Chief Inspector hosted a webinar on the restrictive practices thematic programme for registered providers of disability services in June 2023. You can access the slides from the webinar at the link below, and please also see the frequently asked questions document that was drafted to address the most common queries that arose during the webinar.