physical restraint

Examines the use of restraint in care homes and approaches to minimise its use.

Report of a review of the use of physical restraint on young people in custody conducted in the wake of the deaths of two young men in secure training centres in which restraint played a part and making recommendations on restraint procedures and practice.

Staff in care homes for older people can be confused as to what constitutes restraint, and unsure how to balance their responsibilities to residents with the rights of residents to make their own decisions. This report is based on a selection of literature that addresses these questions, as well as considering how, when and why restraint is used.

The report describes findings from a small-scale study commissioned by SCIE, which was undertaken as part of the My Home Life programme, a national programme aimed at supporting quality of life for those living, dying, visiting and working in care homes. The study seeks to shed light on the complexity of the issues facing care homes and to explore how managers and staff have developed strategies for avoiding or minimising the use of restraint.

Lord Laming published The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report on 12 March 2009. In his report Lord Laming recommended that “The Department for Children, Schools and Families must provide further guidance to Local Safeguarding Children Boards on how to operate as effectively as possible following the publication of the Loughborough University research on Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs)”.The publication of this summary outline builds on the progress already made in addressing Lord Laming’s recommendations.