Restraint and seclusion in mental health
Restraint and Seclusion Chief Psychiatrist Standard and Toolkit
The Chief Psychiatrist has developed a Chief Psychiatrist Standard: Reduce and Eliminate where possible the Use of Restraint and Seclusion applied under the Mental Health Act 2009.
The Standard applies to all those involved in the administration and operation of the Mental Health Act 2009 across public and private settings.
The use of restraint or seclusion has the potential to increase the risk of trauma and or trigger symptoms of past experiences of trauma. It is a last resort option only to maintain safety for all .
Compliance with the Standard is expected as of 1 July 2021, as indicated in the current version.
Providing feedback
Any feedback about the Standard and implementation can be emailed to Health.OCPSafetyQuality@sa.gov.au
Resources
The Standard is accompanied by the following Toolkit fact sheets and resources. These can be found on the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist South Australia website.
Following implementation
With the release 1/2/21 of the Chief Psychiatrist Restraint and Seclusion Standard: Reduce and Eliminate Where Possible the use of Restraint and Seclusion applied under the Mental Health Act 2009; the following existing Policy and Standards are superseded following complete implementation by 1 July 2021:
- Restraint and Seclusion in Mental Health Services Policy Guideline (2015)
- Chief Psychiatrist Standards; Restraint and Seclusion Recording and Reporting (2015) and Restraint and Seclusion Application and Observation (2015).
Further information
Visit the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist South Australia website for further information.