Check
Safewards Pulse Check
A practical, on-site check of whether Safewards is sustaining in your organisation: fidelity checks on the ward, then clear next steps for your executive sponsor.
A1.4 · A1.5 How pulse checks work →Western Australia · Effective 9 October 2026
What the new restrictive practices Standard asks of your training program
The Standard now spells out the de-escalation training every hospital-based mental health service in WA must provide. A plain-English guide and a free self-check, no sign-up.
Read the official Standard ↗What's new
Four changes that land on your education team
From 9 October 2026, every hospital-based mental health service in WA must run a de-escalation training program with specified content, completed by all new staff and refreshed yearly, with contracted security trained to the same standard as internal security.
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Training content is now specified
Prevention and early identification of distress, aggression management, communication and verbal de-escalation, scenario-based practice, lived experience perspectives and competency assessment. The Standard says the focus should not be on how to use restraints.
A3.1 · N3.1 -
Every new starter, every year
All new staff complete the training program, and staff complete a yearly refresher.
A3.1a–b · N3.1a–b -
Security staff are included
Contracted security staff must meet the same training requirement as internal security staff.
A3.1c · N3.1c -
EDs and general wards are in scope
Non-authorised settings, including emergency departments, general wards and Mental Health Observation Areas, have their own set of standards, with the same training requirements.
N1–N6
Scope
Which standards apply to you?
A1–A6
Authorised services
Authorised hospitals and units, public and private, where restraint and seclusion are governed by the Mental Health Act 2014 (s.211–240).
On top of the training requirements, the A standards add the Six Core Strategies, a ward-based reduction program such as Safewards, an executive sponsor, and a yearly report to the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist.
N1–N6
Non-authorised settings
Emergency departments, general wards, non-authorised inpatient units and Mental Health Observation Areas.
Seclusion can't be used in these settings, and restraint is largely governed by common law. Clinical and security staff also need training in that legal framework (N2.3).
Free self-check and action plan
Where you stand, and what to do next
Tick what's already in place, then build your action plan: every gap, with a suggested first step. Nothing is saved or sent.
0 of 16
in place
Clause references: A = authorised services, N = non-authorised settings. Nothing you enter is saved or sent.
Your action plan
16 items to put in place or evidence
Each gap from your self-check, with a suggested first step. Add an owner and a date, then print it or copy it into an email for your executive sponsor. If you change your ticks, the plan updates.
- Prevention, early identification of distress and aggression management A3.1 · N3.1 Add content on spotting early signs of distress and preventing escalation, alongside aggression management.
- Communication skills and verbal de-escalation A3.1 · N3.1 Make communication and verbal de-escalation a core part of the program, not an add-on.
- Scenario-based de-escalation practice, not restraint technique A3.1 · N3.1 Build in scenario-based de-escalation practice, such as simulation, and keep the focus off restraint technique.
- Lived experience perspectives built in A3.1 · N3.1 Involve consumer or lived experience representatives in designing or delivering the training.
- Competency assessment A3.1 · N3.1 Add a competency assessment, such as observed practice with feedback, and record the result.
- Age-appropriate versions: child and adolescent, youth, adult, older adult A3.1 · N3.1 Check which age groups your service sees and make sure the program has a version for each.
- Risks of prone restraint specifically addressed A4.7 · N4.2 Add specific content on the risks of prone restraint.
- All new clinical and security staff complete the program A3.1a · N3.1a Build the program into orientation for every new clinical and security staff member.
- Yearly refresher for all staff A3.1b · N3.1b Schedule a yearly refresher for all staff and track who is due.
- Contracted security trained to the same standard as internal security A3.1c · N3.1c Check your security contract requires the same training as internal security staff, and ask for completion records.
- Legal framework training for new staff, refreshed yearly A2.2 · N2.3 Add legal framework training at orientation and yearly: MHA 2014 for authorised services, restraint law for non-authorised settings.
- Program content reviewed against the Standard A3.1d · N3.1d Book a documented review of the program content against the Standard, by the service or the hospital executive.
- A ward-based reduction program, such as Safewards A1.4 Choose and implement a ward-based reduction program. The Standard names Safewards as an example.
- An executive sponsor named for reduction initiatives A1.5 Name an executive sponsor for restraint and seclusion reduction.
- Completion rates tracked for new staff and yearly refreshers Evaluation Set up reporting on completion rates for new staff and yearly refreshers.
- Ready for the yearly report to the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist A6.7 Agree who compiles the yearly report to the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist and what evidence it needs.
Gaps you'd like a hand with? See how we help →
Everything on the list is in place. Keep the evidence for each item ready for your yearly report.
How we help
Meet the Standard, fast
We've rolled out Safewards and simulation training across Australian health services since 2015. We train your staff and your trainers, so your education team is up to speed quickly.
Train
Simulation-based de-escalation training
The scenario-based de-escalation training the Standard asks for: actor-led simulations with observed practice and feedback, plus an online masterclass. We bring consumer advocates and people with lived experience into the simulations. Run it as train-the-trainer and your own team delivers the yearly refresher.
A3.1 · N3.1 See the Safewards training →
Unite
Clinical and security, one approach
Clinicians and contracted security staff train in the same room, so both meet the same requirement and respond as one team when a situation escalates.
A3.1c · N3.1c See the joint program →“As someone with lived experience, it gave me a chance to see the change that is trying to be made in the delivery of services. I was also made to feel like what I have been through hasn't been for nothing.”
Case studies
Already in place in WA and SA hospitals
In 2025/26 we trained Safewards champions at WA Country Health Service and Central Adelaide LHN, including ED, Aboriginal mental health and security staff.
Case study · WA Country Health Service
Safewards as the standard of care from day one.
35+
champions trained
1
new unit, opened 2026
5
roles trained
Geraldton Health Campus leadership set Safewards as the standard model of care for its new acute psychiatric unit before it opened, and trained more than 35 champions across five roles so the model was part of the unit's culture from the first shift. Delivered 2025/26. Geraldton is the third WACHS campus to deploy Safewards across its mental health services.
Relevant to the Standard
- A ward-based reduction program (Safewards) set as the model of care before the unit opened (A1.4)
- Scenario-based simulation with simulated patients, including actors with lived experience (A3.1)
- Champions across five roles, in WA Country Health Service
Case study · Central Adelaide Local Health Network
85 Safewards Champions across two hospitals.
85
champions trained
2
hospitals
800+
staff reached
Royal Adelaide and The Queen Elizabeth hospitals trained emergency department nurses, consultants, educators and nurse practitioners alongside contracted security staff, building a shared approach to early warning signs and de-escalation across both sites. Delivered 2025/26. The Safewards Champion Program then kickstarted a wider education program for more than 800 staff.
Relevant to the Standard
- Contracted security staff trained alongside ED clinicians (A3.1c · N3.1c)
- Emergency departments: the non-authorised settings now covered by N1–N6
- The champion program kickstarted a wider education program for more than 800 staff
Frequently asked questions
Does the WA restrictive practices Standard apply to private hospitals?
Yes. It applies to hospital-based mental health services in WA, public and private. Authorised hospitals and units follow standards A1–A6; non-authorised settings such as emergency departments and general wards follow N1–N6.
When does the new Standard start?
It took effect on 9 October 2026. It replaces the Chief Psychiatrist's 2015 Standard for Clinical Care: Seclusion and Bodily Restraint Reduction.
Do we have to use an external training provider?
No. The Standard sets what the training must cover and who must complete it, not who delivers it. Many services will meet it with their own education teams.
Is Safewards required?
Authorised mental health services must implement a ward-based strategy or program for reducing restraint and seclusion. Safewards is the example the Standard names (A1.4).
What training does the Standard require for de-escalation?
A program covering prevention and early identification of distress, aggression management, communication and verbal de-escalation, scenario-based de-escalation, lived experience perspectives and competency assessment, in age-appropriate versions (A3.1, N3.1). All new staff complete it, all staff do a yearly refresher, and contracted security must meet the same requirement as internal security.
Is this guide official?
No. It is Xantha's independent plain-English summary. Xantha is not affiliated with the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist. Always refer to the official Standard.
Want to talk it through? No pitch required.
If you're working out how your program measures up, we're happy to compare notes.
Summary based on the Chief Psychiatrist's Standard for Restrictive Practices (Restraint and Seclusion) for Hospital-based Mental Health Services (version 2.0, issued under s.547, Mental Health Act 2014 (WA), effective 9 October 2026). Xantha is independent of the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist, and this page is not official guidance. Always refer to the official Standard. xantha.com.au/wa-restrictive-practices-standard