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Contents

1. Context and Scope
2. Procedure                                                                         

1 . Context and Scope

The Children Act 1989, Volume 4, Regulation and Guidance for Residential Child Care, responded to the need to provide a safe and appropriate balance between care and control for some of the most 'troubled' and 'troublesome' young people. The Department of Health also published: 'Permissible Forms of Control' in 1991 and, in 1997, further guidance was issued on this important area. The Care Standards Act 2000 and The National Minimum Standards for Children's Homes, 2011, further responds to the need to provide safe and appropriate forms of control and discipline. Other references are: Guidance on the Use of Restrictive Physical Interventions for Staff Working with Children and Adults who Display Extreme Behaviour in Association with Learning Disability and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorders (DfES: 2002) and The Use of Force to Control or Restrain Pupils (DCFS 2007).

The overall message, consistent throughout all the legislation and guidance, is that the emphasis should be on encouraging and rewarding acceptable behaviour and responding in consistent and constructive ways to unacceptable behaviour.

This needs to be read in conjunction with:

Sanctions and Physical Intervention in Units that Care for Young People Procedure

Restrictive Physical Intervention Protocol.

2. Procedure

1.0	The emphasis within each home should be on encouraging and supporting positive behaviour from young people. This approach is consistent with and, builds upon, Residential Procedure 21D and the mandatory training in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI). When there is a need to respond to inappropriate and negative behaviour from young people this should be done in constructive and proactive ways.
1.1	All staff should be familiar and converse with the guidance and procedure on Sanctions and Physical Intervention in Units Caring for Young People. A copy is also kept in the induction pack and this should be read and understood as part of the staff induction process.
1.2	What constitutes acceptable and unacceptable behaviour should be understood and negotiated within staff supervision and team meetings. Staff should help young people develop acceptable behaviour through communication, negotiation and consistency of approach.
1.3	All staff should receive training on positive approaches to care and control issues. It is a legal requirement to receive training in Control and Restraint and this is provided as part of the TCI. This training will continue to be a mandatory training requirement. Staff may only use techniques approved by the home. Restraint may not be used to force compliance or as a punishment where Significant Harm or serious damage to property are not otherwise likely.
1.4	In day to day decision making staff should demonstrate an appropriate balance between: Each young person’s wishes and preferences The needs of individual young people The needs of the resident group The protection of others (including the public) from harm
1.5	All young people within the home should be looked after without favouritism or antipathy.

End