Children's commissioner backs restraint ban

In a report published by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner following research undertaken by charity User Voice, young offenders told of experiences where painful restraint methods were used in unnecessary situations.

User Voice, which is led by ex-offenders who work with people in and around the justice system, gathered the views of 89 young people.

One young woman in a secure training centre said: "I think restraining should only be used in a really difficult situation instead of just when young girls refuse to go to their room or education, it’s disgusting."

The report recommends that Ministry of Justice and Youth Justice Board (YJB) commit to banning the deliberate use of pain to control children. It also called for young people with experience of the youth justice system to be actively involved in reviewing and evaluating policy and practice.

According to the children’s commissioner, internationally agreed standards, as set out by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and European Council, must be used as benchmarks for how and when restraint is used on children and young people.

Children’s commissioner Maggie Atkinson said: "This report contains the views of young people currently in the secure juvenile estate and those who have previously experienced it. The views expressed throughout clearly show how the use of restraint differs greatly between institutions, and where used and applied inappropriately can have a profound, lasting and negative impact on young people.

"It is important that those designing policy and those responsible for implementing and delivering services recognise this."

Earlier this month the YJB pledged to improve practice across the secure estate following a consultation with young people.

Mark Johnson, founder of User Voice, said: "I recognise that members of staff in the secure estate can work with some of the country’s most troubled children. However, physical force should only ever be used as a measure of last resort and must be done in the safest possible way. Restraint techniques should be used to de-escalate a situation without causing further harm or trauma to those involved."

Penelope Gibbs, director of the Out of Trouble programme at the Prison Reform Trust to reduce child and youth imprisonment, said: "Children in custody have frequently suffered abuse at home or witnessed domestic violence. The last thing these children need is to suffer the trauma of being physically restrained in custody.

"The children quoted in this report feel that staff could often calm situations through talking rather than physical force. Staff who look after children in custody need better training to resolve conflict peacefully, and restraint should never be used just to get a child to go to bed, or leave a room."