Keynote address: A positive behaviour approach to restrictive practices regulation.
Trinh Mai, Senior Authorising Offier, South Australia
Trinh is the inaugural Senior Authorising Officer in South Australia. Trinh has more than 20 years' experience in the public sector leading legislative reform, strategy, policy and direct practice across child protection, family support, complaints and advocacy, education, and disability sectors. Drawing
on her qualifications in Behavioural Science, Social Work and Law, Trinh brings a multi-disciplinary lens to supporting people with disability in the Restrictive Practices Authorisation Scheme.
Watch a recording of Trinh's keynote address (YouTube 42min)
A Positive behaviour approach to restrictive practices regulation (PDF 480.0 KB)
The presumption of zero physical restraint
Mandy Donley, Victorian Senior Practitioner and credentialed mental health nurse
Mandy Donley is a credentialled mental health nurse working as the Victorian Senior Practitioner to reduce and eliminate the use of restrictive practices in Disability Services. Mandy trained in a one-thousand-bed institution in the Northeast of England and has been advocating for least restrictive practice ever since.
Mandy has worked with the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, and the Office of the Victorian Senior Practitioner when it was first established. Mandy has been the inaugural Principal Practice Leader - Education and the inaugural ACT Senior Practitioner.
In 2021, in collaboration with Imperial College London, Mandy launched Stompoz.
Reduction of Physical Restraint in Victories (PDF 1.5 MB)
Prof Keith McVilly, Registered Clinical Psychologist and Foundation Professorial Fellow for Disability & Inclusion, School of Social & Political Sciences, University of Melbourne
Professor Keith R. McVilly PhD is a Registered Clinical Psychologist and the Foundation Professorial Fellow for Disability & Inclusion, in the School of Social & Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. His work addresses the translation of research into policy and practice, with a focus on promoting the well-being and community inclusion of people with multiple and complex disabling experiences.
Keith published the first comprehensive Australian PBS text in 2002, and has led state and national projects to advance behaviour support across Australia. He is currently developing micro-credentials at the University of Melbourne to advance accredited professional development for behaviour support practitioners.
Physical Restraints: A ten-year review and future policy development (PDF 1.6 MB)
State of the Nation: Concurrent sessions
Queensland - Chris Booker, Director: Positive Behaviour Support & Restrictive Practices Unit
Chris Booker is the director of the Positive Behaviour Support & Restrictive Practices Unit, in the Queensland Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services.
Chris has a background in social work, and has nearly 30 years of experience in the disability sector, both in Australia and the UK. He has a clinical interest in autism, and the assessment of decision making capacity.
State of the Nation: Queensland (PDF 528.5 KB)
Northern Territory - Susan Fallon, Senior Practitioner
Susan Fallon is currently employed as Senior Practitioner, Restrictive Practices Authorisation Unit, NT Health Department. Susan is a registered psychologist with 20+ years’ experience in disability, out of home care, and juvenile detention. Susan’s key knowledge areas are restrictive practices and positive behaviour support. Susan currently runs NT wide behaviour support practitioner Communities of Practice, and also engages in building the capability of organisations in the NT disability sector.
Northen Territory Authorisation process and NT complexities (PDF 1009.3 KB)
New South Wales - Jackie Grozdanovski, Manager, Department of Communities and Justice NSW
Jackie Grozdanovski is the manager of the Central Restrictive Practices Team, for the NSW Department of Communities and Justice. Jackie has 25 years’ experience in the disability sector, having occupied diverse roles within both state government and the NGO sector.
Jackie leverages her leadership role to influence the sector and advocate for putting people with disability at the centre of decision making and supporting them to maintain their rights. Her primary objective is to reduce and eliminate restrictive practices and ensure that people with disability are adequately safeguarded.
Restrictive Practices Authorisation (RPA) in NSW (PDF 207.6 KB)
State of the Nation: Concurrent sessions
Victoria - Mandy Donley, Senior Practitioner
Mandy Donley is a credentialled mental health nurse working as the Victorian Senior Practitioner to reduce and eliminate the use of restrictive practices in Disability Services. Mandy has been the inaugural Principal Practice Leader -Education (Victoria) and the inaugural ACT Senior Practitioner.
Watch the video Environmental restraints: detention (Vimeo 16min)
Western Australia - Craig McIver, Consultant Psychologist, Department of Communities
Craig has worked in the disability sector for over 20 years, most of this time in the area of Positive Behaviour Support based service delivery. His past roles have included Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Psychology Supervisor, Team Leader and Regional Manager Behaviour Support. Craig is presently a consultant psychologist with the Department of Communities Behaviour Support Consultancy Team. This team is supporting the implementation of the Authorisation of Restrictive Practices in Funded Disability Services Policy in Western Australia with a future focus of legislation in this area.
Positive Behaviour Support & Collaborative Practice - Learnings and Reflections from WA (PDF 1.3 MB)
Australian Capital Territory - Tracey Harkness, Senior Practitioner
Tracey is a registered psychologist with over 20 years of experience in positive behaviour support and disability as a practitioner, senior specialist psychologist and practice leader for NSW government.
She has worked in the non-government and government sectors and was a regular member of the NSW Restrictive Practices authorisation process. Tracey also has a Certificate IV in Workplace Training and was responsible for training the NSW government’s Disability Psychology workforce in Applied Behaviour Analysis, Motivational Interviewing and Professional Supervision. Tracey was the inaugural National Director Behaviour Support with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Tracey was appointed as the Senior Practitioner for the ACT in 2021.
Protecting Vulnerable People - Office of the Senior Practitioner (PDF 575.3 KB)
Chemical restraints, health and mental health: Concurrent sessions
Dr Bahman Zarrabi, Consultant Psychiatrist
Allied Health Clinicians, SA Intellectual Disability Health Service (SAIDHS)
The SA Intellectual Disability Health Service (SAIDHS) is a state-wide, specialist health service for adults with intellectual disabilities and complex care needs. SAIDHS works as a multi-disciplinary team comprising Rehabilitation Medicine, Neurology, Psychiatry, Nursing and Allied Health clinicians. By working closely with the consumer, families, mainstream health services, carers and disability service providers, SAIDHS provides health consultation, assessment and planning to support ongoing care by mainstream services.
Chemical restraint, health & mental health (PDF 4.6 MB)
Multidisciplinary Approaches for Reducing Chemical Restraint in Practice (PDF 2.3 MB)
Dr Donna Gillies, Director, Research and Practice Evidence, NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Dr Donna Gillies is the Director, Research and Practice Evidence at NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. She has worked in the Research and Practice Evidence team since the early days of the NDIS Commission, the last three years as Director. She has been a researcher and advocate for best practice over a wide range of health and disability-related areas for 25 years.
The Use of Psychotropics in People with Disability (PDF 2.7 MB)
Dr John Brayley, Chief Psychiatrist, Office of the Chief Psychiatrist, South Australia
John has over 30 years’ experience in public and private healthcare and has worked in leadership roles in the mental health, general health and disability sectors. Past roles include State Director of Mental Health in SA, Public Advocate between 2008 and 2015, and Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Immigration.
He has had the statutory appointment of Chief Psychiatrist since May 2018.
Watch the video Community-based mental health care: the Power of Purpose (YouTube 4min)