Some roles cannot always step away from danger. This physical restraint and personal protection training gives security officers, response teams and staff in high risk settings safe, simple techniques to protect themselves, break away and, only as a last resort, hold or restrain a person safely. It is taught by practitioners with operational experience, and always puts avoidance and de-escalation first.
What your organisation gains
- Staff who protect themselves and create distance rather than escalate a confrontation.
- Safer, lower-risk holding techniques for the rare occasions restraint is necessary.
- Coordinated team responses that reduce injuries to staff and the people they care for.
- Training aligned with your policies, WHS duties and, in health care, the NSQHS Standards on restraint.
Why train with Agilient
Taught by practitioners
Every Agilient consultant has at least 20 years of experience, typically as security managers within large organisations, and has dealt first hand with the issues the course covers.
Built for your organisation
Content, examples and scenarios are shaped around your sites, policies and incident history, not an off-the-shelf syllabus that dates quickly.
Active learning
Participants work through case studies and carry out the activities themselves, so the skills stick after the day.
Designed for you to own
Train-the-trainer options and a strategy for moving the course into your own online learning mean the capability stays in-house.
Why this training matters
Agilient’s first principle is that staff remove themselves from a dangerous situation, de-escalate where it is safe and call for help. Some roles cannot always step away. Security officers, Code Grey and duress response teams, and staff in mental health, custodial, disability and other high risk settings may need to protect themselves or others, and occasionally to restrain a person to prevent serious harm.
Restraint carries real risk to the person restrained and to staff, including positional asphyxia and injury, and any force used must be reasonable and proportionate. Safe Work Australia guidance expects employers to eliminate or minimise the risk of workplace violence, and in health care, action 5.35 of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards requires organisations to minimise, and where possible eliminate, the use of restraint and to govern its use in line with legislation. This course is built around those expectations.
What the course covers
- Avoid, escape, de-escalate The first principle, and why physical intervention is the last option rather than the first.
- Legal and policy framework Reasonable and proportionate force, duty of care, work health and safety duties, and your organisation’s policies.
- Risk of restraint Positional asphyxia, excited states, medical emergencies and the warning signs that require restraint to stop immediately.
- Personal protection Stance, distance, awareness and protecting yourself from strikes, grabs and weapons.
- Breakaway techniques Simple, low-force techniques to release from holds and create distance so you can leave.
- Safer holding and restraint Low-risk holding and escort techniques as a last resort, applied only as long as necessary.
- Team responses Roles in a team response, communication, working with security and police, and handing over.
- After an incident Checking the welfare of everyone involved, reporting, debriefing and reviewing what happened.
- Practical drills Supervised practice in pairs and teams, with scenarios drawn from your own workplace.
What participants will be able to do
- Apply the first principle of avoiding, escaping and de-escalating before any physical intervention.
- Explain the legal limits on force and their organisation’s restraint policy.
- Use personal protection and breakaway techniques to create distance and leave safely.
- Take part safely in a team response using low-risk holding techniques as a last resort.
- Recognise the signs of medical distress during restraint and respond immediately.
Who should attend
- Security officers and supervisors
- Code Grey and duress response teams
- Staff in mental health, emergency and high risk clinical settings
- Staff in custodial, disability and youth services
- Managers responsible for high risk work
Choose the level and format that suits you
The course can be run at more than one level, so governance and day-to-day practice are covered together.
- Executive briefing. A short session for executives and boards on accountability, obligations, risk appetite and what good looks like.
- Manager and practitioner workshop. The full course, with case studies and practical exercises for the people who manage the risk day to day.
- Train-the-trainer. Preparing your own trainers to deliver the course inside your organisation, with the materials and guidance to do it well.
- In person. Physical skills are taught in person at your premises or a venue you choose. Supporting theory can be delivered online.
Bringing the capability in-house, with Agilient as your partner
More organisations want to build and keep this capability within their own teams. Agilient supports that. After delivering the course, Agilient can train your trainers, help your learning and development team plan the conversion of the course into an online module, and stay involved as an adviser, so your people deliver it with the benefit of Agilient’s hands-on experience.
How it works
- Get in touch. Tell us which course you are interested in, roughly how many people, where and when.
- Scoping conversation. An Agilient consultant discusses your people, sites, policies and recent incidents, and agrees the level, format and duration with you.
- Tailored content. Case studies, scenarios and exercises are built around your own environment and procedures.
- Delivery and handover. The course is delivered in person or online. Agilient can then train your trainers, support an online version, or review related procedures, controls or risk assessments.
Related Agilient services and resources
- Managing Physical Aggression in the Workplace the course to complete first for most staff
- Occupational Violence and Aggression (OVA) Training for Healthcare
- Healthcare security
- Physical security consulting
Frequently asked questions
What is physical restraint training?
Physical restraint training teaches staff how to protect themselves and others, and how to safely hold or restrain a person as a last resort when there is a serious risk of harm. Agilient’s course puts avoidance, escape and de-escalation first, and covers the legal limits on force, the risks of restraint and team responses.
Does the course replace our clinical restraint policy?
No. The course is aligned with your policies. Clinical and chemical restraint, seclusion, and restrictive practices regulated under disability legislation remain governed by your organisation’s clinical and behaviour support frameworks.
Should staff complete a de-escalation course first?
Yes, for most staff. Agilient recommends De-escalation Training for Customer-Facing Staff or Managing Physical Aggression in the Workplace first, with this course for staff whose roles may require physical intervention.
How often should staff refresh these skills?
Physical skills fade without practice. Agilient recommends regular refresher sessions, and can train your own trainers to run them.
How long is the course?
Duration is agreed with you. Courses range from a two-hour briefing to a one, one and a half or two-day program, depending on your audience, risks and how much practical work you want included.
Can the course be delivered online?
No. Physical skills need supervised, hands-on practice, so this course is delivered in person. Supporting theory, such as the legal framework and risks of restraint, can be delivered online or converted into an online module for refreshers.
Can our own team deliver this training in future?
Yes. Agilient runs train-the-trainer sessions so your people can deliver the course themselves, and can work with your learning and development team on a strategy for converting the course into an online module for induction and refreshers.
Can individuals book a place on this course?
No. Agilient runs its training in-house for organisations rather than as public courses, so individual places are not available. Group size, timing and content are agreed with each organisation.
Is this an accredited course?
No, and that is deliberate. It is not a nationally recognised qualification that follows a fixed syllabus, which can date quickly. It is designed and delivered by practitioners who have dealt with these issues first hand, tailored to your organisation, and built on case studies, active learning and practical exercises.
Ready to build this capability in your organisation?
Tell us what you need. Agilient will recommend the right level, format and duration, and tailor the course to your organisation.
Other in-house security training courses
- Security Risk Assessment and Management Course
- Security Threat Assessment Training
- Insider Threat Training
- Security Awareness Training Course
- Customer Aggression Training for Managers
- De-escalation Training for Customer-Facing Staff
- Managing Physical Aggression in the Workplace
- Patient De-escalation Training for Healthcare Workers
- Occupational Violence and Aggression (OVA) Training for Healthcare
- Crisis Management Team Training and Tabletop Exercises
- Situational Awareness and Active Armed Offender Training
- CPTED Training: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
Sources
- Preventing workplace violence and aggression guide, Safe Work Australia
- NSQHS Standards Action 5.35, Minimising restrictive practices: restraint, ACSQHC
- Model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work, Safe Work Australia
Last updated 29/09/2026.