Managing challenging behaviour & physical restraint policy

Outcome statement

To minimise the effect of challenging behaviour, the Gorge Road School Board shall ensure that effective procedures are in place around the management of student behaviour and the use of physical restraint.

Scoping

This policy applies throughout the school.

All staff are required to familiarise themselves with Ministry of Education guidelines for registered schools in New Zealand on the use of physical restraint and to undertake appropriate professional development.

The board will ensure that any incident of physical restraint is notified to parents or caregivers and reported to the Ministry of Education. The board will ensure that parents or caregivers are notified if physical restraint is an element in a student’s individual behaviour plan.

Complainants with concerns regarding use of physical restraint must follow the school’s prescribed concerns and complaints procedure.

Delegations

The board delegates to the principal:

•        responsibility for ensuring that adequate staff training and support is in place

•        the reporting of incidents of physical restraint to parents, caregivers and the Ministry of Education

•        notification to parents and caregivers if an element of physical restraint is in a student’s individual behaviour plan.

Limitations and expectations

•        Physical restraint is defined as using force to prevent, restrict or subdue the movement of a student’s body or part of the student’s body and is a serious intervention.

•        Staff shall be well versed in prevention and de-escalation strategies used to limit the need to physically restrain a student.

•        Use of physical restraint is limited to teachers or authorised staff members, and only where:

o       there are reasonable grounds to believe that there is a serious and imminent risk to the safety of a student or of any other person

o       the restraint used is reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances.

•        Authorised staff are employees authorised by their employer (the Gorge Road School Board) to use physical restraint.

In the case of Gorge Road School the authorised staff member will be the principal. Should she be off site the responsibility lies with the next most senior staff member.

•        Teachers and staff members who are authorised to physically restrain students shall receive suitable training and support.

•        Seclusion of students is prohibited. Seclusion of students is defined as placing a child or student in a room involuntarily, alone and from which they cannot (or believe they cannot) freely exit.

Associated legislation

Education Act 1989

Education (Physical Restraint) Rules 2017 Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

Monitoring

Instances, matters or risks in relation to this policy shall form part of the principal’s report to every board meeting, taking care that individual students cannot be identified.

The board shall monitor the use of physical restraint, looking for trends and any action that could be taken at governance level to support reducing such incidents.

September 2024