National minimum standards for holiday schemes for disabled children (HSDC), published by the Department for Education, state that schemes must have a clear written policy on managing behaviour.
This must include details on supporting positive behaviour, de-escalation of conflicts, discipline, control and restraint, and be understood by all staff. Restraint should only be used in exceptional circumstances, it adds.
Meanwhile, staff and volunteers should be supported to manage their “responses and feelings” resulting from working with children, particularly where children display challenging behaviour or have difficult emotional issues.
There has been an increasing focus on the use of restraint in residential settings since the Winterborne View scandal, where patients at the residential hospital were pinned down, slapped and taunted.
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