Physical intervention in schools guidance consultation: what you told us - easy read

Physical intervention in schools guidance consultation What you told us Easy Read

Background

The Scottish Government had a consultation from June to October 2022 about guidance on physical intervention in Scottish schools.

Physical intervention means doing something physical that will change or stop what a child or young person is doing.

A consultation is when we ask what you think about something and listen to what you have to say.

This report says what people told us.

You can see the responses to the online consultation at: consult.gov.scot

Who answered the consultation?

There were 104 responses to the consultation:

• 46 people answered as individuals

• 58 people answered for an organisation including:

• o 22 local councils
• o education organisations
• o voluntary organisations
• o organisations representing children and young people

What did you tell us?

We asked if the guidance was easy to understand?

88 people answered this question.

• 56 people (64 per cent) said that the guidance is easy to understand

• 32 people (36 per cent) said that the guidance was not easy to understand

We asked if the guidance clearly explained what physical intervention is?

86 people answered this question.

• 52 people (60 per cent) said yes

• 34 people (40 per cent) said no

We asked if there are any other restraints used in schools that should be added to the guidance?

87 people answered this question.

Restraintmeans stopping a child or young person from moving, having freedom or being able to move on their own.

• 58 people (67 per cent) said no

• 29 people (33 per cent) said yes

We asked if there was anything we needed to add to the guidance that would help it to be used in schools?

85 people answered this question.

• 66 people (78 per cent) said yes

• 19 people (22 per cent) said no

We asked if any other changes should be made to the guidance?

86 people answered this question.

• 61 people (71 per cent) said yes

• 25 people (29 per cent) said no

The main messages in the consultation were:

• the guidance is too long

• there needs to be clearer advice on how to stop restraint from being needed

This would help the guidance to be used well.

• some definitions need to be clearer

A definition explains what something means.

The definitions of the types of physical intervention and restraint were clear.

Clearer definitions were needed for:

• staff-led withdrawal - when a member of staff asks a child or young person to move away from something they are finding difficult

• seclusion - moving a child or young person so they are in a space on their own, away from other children and young people, and they cannot leave

• how both of these things are connected

• it is important to have:

• o supporting resources – extra information

• o accessible handouts – information in different formats

• o training about how the guidance will be used

What will happen next?

In partnership with the physical intervention working group, the Scottish Government will look at ways to:

• make parts of the guidance simpler but still including enough detail
• strengthen the advice on prevention
• make some of the definitions clearer
• include the suggestions on supporting resources, handouts and training in the final version of the guidance and in the plans for making the guidance happen

The Scottish Government will change the draft guidance and put it online.