Authorised program officers

An authorised program officer (APO):

• is an employee of an NDIS service provider
• helps their organisation to comply with the Restrictive Practices Authorisation scheme
• plays an important role in the Restrictive Practices Authorisation scheme.

There is no legal obligation for NDIS providers to have an APO. Some organisations, such as small or newly established organisations, choose not to have one. NDIS service providers and participants can request that their restrictive practices authorisation decisions be made by the senior authorising officer. This is a free service.

All NDIS service providers that must comply with the new Restrictive Practices Authorisation scheme should appoint at least one person within their organisation to be an APO.

Find out if your organisation must comply with the Restrictive Practices Authorisation scheme.

An APO makes decisions about a regulated restrictive practice for an NDIS participant.

The APO’s role in an organisation is to help their employer comply with the Restrictive Practices Authorisation scheme by:

• reviewing and authorising decisions on the use of Level 1 regulated restrictive practices
• reviewing, endorsing and forwarding the use of Level 2 regulated restrictive practices to the senior authorising officer for authorisation.

APOs also help with quality assurance and service improvement in their organisation.

The APO’s responsibilities include:

• authorising the use of Level 1 regulated restrictive practices only when:
  • a person’s behaviour creates a risk of harm
  • the restrictive practice is needed to prevent or reduce the risk of harm
  • the person has a behaviour support plan
  • the behaviour support plan was developed in consultation with the person
  • the restrictive practice is included in the behaviour support plan
  • the restrictive practice falls within national and state requirements
• endorsing the use of Level 2 regulated restrictive practices (when the same conditions apply as with Level 1 regulated restrictive practices) and then forwarding it to the senior authorisation officer for an authorisation decision.

An APO needs the right qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience to make authorising decisions.

Once you have found the right person, follow the steps on how to nominate someone to be an APO of the Restrictive Practices Authorisation scheme. The senior authorising officer will assess the suitability of your nominated person to be an APO.

If you are a very small or newly established service provider and need help finding an APO email DHSRestrictivePracticesUnit@sa.gov.au.

Qualifications

An APO needs to have a relevant tertiary qualification in at least one of the following disciplines:

• speech pathology
• physiotherapy
• occupational therapy
• nursing
• education
• disability
• behaviour specific discipline or other allied health qualifications.

Experience

An APO needs to:

• have extensive experience and knowledge in behaviour intervention and support
• be familiar with:
  • trauma-informed practices
  • client-centred approaches
  • impact of colonisation and systemic racism for Aboriginal people
• have strong professional networks to seek expertise where issues such as culture, religion, and gender are involved
• have a sound understanding of child development and developmental trauma if authorising restrictive practices for children and young people.

Once you have found someone suitable to be your organisation's APO you'll need to get them approved by the senior authorising officer of the Restrictive Practices Authorisation scheme.

Use the restrictive practices system to submit your nomination.

If you want to become an APO, there are five steps to complete:

1. Work for a NDIS service provider that implements restrictive practices.
2. Have the specific qualifications, skills, knowledge, and experience required to do the role.
3. Get familiar with the Restrictive Practices Authorisation scheme and the Restrictive Practice Guidelines to find out if the role would suit you.
4. Speak to your employer to let them know that you are interested in becoming an APO. If they think you are suitable, they may nominate you.
5. The senior authorising officer will evaluate your suitability to be an APO and will let you know the outcome of your nomination.