Family and friend carers play a critical yet often under-recognised role in supporting older people in Australia, particularly within home-based care. While restrictive practices are regulated in formal service systems, far less attention has been given to how they emerge in informal care relationships. This contribution explores how restrictive practices can arise within everyday care, not as deliberate acts, but as part of ongoing decision-making to manage safety, risk and complex needs. Drawing on data from the National Carer Survey and practice insights, it highlights how factors such as cognitive decline, service gaps and system fragmentation shape carers’ responses. In navigating aged care, health, disability and mental health systems, carers often assume responsibility for risk management with limited guidance or support. Our research shows that restrictive practices in informal care are embedded within broader system pressures, including carer stress, unclear service pathways and limited access to coordinated supports. It emphasises the need to move beyond awareness towards practical, preventative approaches that support carers to balance safety with dignity and independence. In response, Carers NSW has developed a series of resources in the form of factsheets to support carers and service providers to better recognise, respond to and reduce restrictive practices in home-based care. These resources aim to contribute to a growing evidence base and aim to strengthen practice by providing accessible, carer-sensitive guidance across service contexts.