Physical Restraint in Residential Child Care: A Watershed Moment?
Laura Steckley explains how people are coming together to consider how to apply what we know about both experience and theory to address the practice of restraint in residential care.
Should our young people be experiencing physical restraint at any level?
David Grimm asks if physical restraint should be used at all in residential child care, using his own experience of care to discuss the ability to adapt to the needs of individuals young people.
Unintended consequences: Restraint and criminalisation of looked after children
The criminisation of children in residential care. We need to be careful when changing practice as there can be unintended consequences.
Why it is the right time to equally protect children
Louise Hill talks about the impact of the Children (Equal Protection from Assault) Bill in Scotland.
Can theory be an ally in efforts to reduce physical restraint?
Erica Barr is a House Leader with South Ayrshire Council. Here she discusses the need to link theory with practice to improve our understanding of children and young people.
‘Why didn’t you f*cking restrain me’: when physical restraint can meet a child’s need
John Radoux, a child and adolescent counsellor who grew up in care and works in children's homes discusses why we need to reevaluate attitudes to physical restraint.
There's no place for physical restraint in residential child care
There’s no place for physical restraint in residential child care in the 21st century – there, I’ve said it, put it out there! I advocate for a total ban on restraining young people, and I would start it right now if I could.
Professional training is essential to provide the best support for our young people
We know there are many things that need to change in residential child care in Scotland, and as a service manager, our team has been looking closely at our practice, the environment we work in and staff training to see what we can improve on to make the lives of the young people we serve better.
Turning conversation into action
It is with our gratitude to each and every contributor to the series and the subsequent discussions that we draw this to a close here, but this is not, and must not be, the end of the conversation.
Looked After children and young people and rights to education: Accessing the right to Coordinated Support Plans
This article was first published by The Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland on 23 October 2019
Scotland and Jersey: working together to make change happen
As part of Care Experienced Week, David Grimm has written a blog post and Simone Smith shares a vlog describing the learning and discussion from a group of care experienced young people’s recent trip to Jersey as part of the Scotland-Jersey Participation Project
On a journey with the Welsh Child Practice Review Framework
Barbara shares the learning that she gained throughout designing, applying and adapting the model in Wales, England and Jersey, and how this has helped her to support the first case review in Scotland, based on the Welsh approach.
2019 - a year of real opportunity in residential child care
John Ryan, Assistant Director, Aberlour, reflects on what this new conversation about the use of restraint means for those working in residential care with children and young people today.