manual handling course for disability support workers

A manual handling course for disability support workers is usually treated as a physical skills topic, and one of the highest risk situations sits outside that frame.

A transfer attempted while a person is distressed is not the same task as a planned one. Movement becomes unpredictable, the worker is managing two things at once, and improvised physical intervention can stray into a restrictive practice.

That is a boundary worth teaching explicitly rather than leaving to judgement. Restrictive practices are regulated, they generally require authorisation and a behaviour support plan, and they are reportable.

Practical content covers recognising when to stop and reschedule a transfer, knowing what the person’s behaviour support plan actually says, and understanding where the line sits between assisting somebody and restricting them.

Safe Work Australia covers hazardous manual tasks. This is general information rather than legal advice, and obligations vary by state and territory.

See Sentrient’s positive behaviour support training and restrictive practices training.