Minimising Student Distress and the Use of Physical Restraint Policy
St Patrick’s Catholic School
Genesis 1:27 So God made humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.
Rationale: St Patrick’s Catholic School recognises that every person is made in the image of likeness of God and has tapu, mana and potential.
Purposes
All ākonga should be treated with respect.
Whānau, community and school should work hand in hand to provide a protective, supportive and safe environment for students to thrive.
Supportive practices need to be in place to awhi ākonga, minimise distress and restore wellbeing.
There are tools available for parents, guardians and whānau to raise any concerns with the school in relation to this policy.
Delegations
The board delegates to the principal to ensure:
There are effective whole-whole school procedures and practices to prevent, plan for and respond to student distress and are in line with the Education (Physical Restraint) Rules 2023.
Instances, matters, or risks relating to this policy shall form part of the principal’s reporting to the board, ensuring that individual students cannot be identified (in line with the board’s Privacy Policy)
The school’s concerns and complaints process is readily accessible to students, caregivers, parents and whānau.
The board shall monitor the use of physical restraint, looking for trends and any action that could be taken at the governance level to support reducing such incidents.
To increase awareness Board members are encouraged to complete the online training module available through the Ministry of Education.
Definitions
Ākonga: student
Physical restraint: in relation to an ākonga, means to use physical force to prevent, restrict, or subdue the movement of an ākonga (or any part of their body) against their will.
Imminent harm: an immediate threat that a person will cause and/or suffer harm which jeopardises the health and safety or wellbeing of themselves or others if protective action is not taken immediately.
Significant emotional distress: harm that is caused by the intentional acts of one person that significantly affects the emotional wellbeing of another person, to such an extent that they need intensive support to cope and recover.
Seclusion: putting ākonga alone in a room they can’t leave (or think they can’t leave) against their will.
Guidelines
Physical Restraint of ākonga must only be used if all three of these conditions are met:
To prevent imminent harm, including emotional distress, for the student or others
You reasonably believe that there is no other option available
The physical restraint is reasonable and proportionate to the situation (only applying as much force as is necessary and for the minimum amount of time needed)
Situations where physical restraint may be appropriate include crisis situations as well as reaching out to stop ākonga running onto a road or climbing somewhere that is unsafe.
If an ākonga is restrained at any time, the staff member involved must complete a Physical Restraint Incident Report (Appendix 1) and the principal must be informed immediately.
The Principal must place a copy of the form in the ākonga file and provide a copy to the whanau of the ākonga. The principal will also complete a Ministry of Education Reporting Form online and email it to the Ministry of Education and the Presiding Member of the School Board.
The whanau of the ākonga must be notified and given the opportunity to meet to debrief the situation within three working days, or longer by mutual agreement. They must receive a copy of the Physical Restraint Incident Report.
Records of restraint must be kept for 10 years and regularly analysed so that trends including increased use of restraint can be identified and actions put in place to minimise physical restraint.
In some circumstances, there may be ākonga who need regular physical restraint to keep themselves or others safe and to de-escalate high-crisis situations. If this is the case, this ākonga will need to have a written Support Plan for preventing student distress and de-escalating crises. The student’s parents must sign this plan, giving informed consent.
All teachers who have completed the appropriate training are automatically approved to restrain. The Board is able to approve an employee who is not a teacher, and who has received the appropriate training, to use physical restraint to keep students safe. Approval will be given in writing to the employee concerned and may be revoked at any time.
All teachers who the principal identifies as having a high likelihood of needing to restrain, and all staff members who have received approval to restrain, must be trained in the use of appropriate physical holds by accredited physical restraint practitioners.
When an incident of restraint occurs, ākonga and all staff members involved must be offered support for their physical and psychological well-being and their well-being should be monitored by the principal.
For ākonga, support might mean involving whānau and deciding together what they might need. For staff members, support could include debriefing, emotional support, the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP services), additional breaks or help with workload.
To be clear, the use of physical restraint is a last resort. It is far better to prevent dangerous situations developing or use de-escalation techniques to calm things down. For suggestions to minimise student distress and de-escalate situations, see Ministry of Education Guidelines
Students must not be isolated or locked into a room alone. Seclusion is prohibited under section 98 of the Education and Training Act 2020.
Ratified: 29 March 2023
Appendix 1: Physical Restraint Incident Form
Name of Student:
Time and date of incident:
What led up to the incident? (Possible precursors or triggers?)
Description of incident:
What techniques or strategies were used in the first instance to try and avoid restraint?
Name of staff members who applied physical restraint:
What holds or restraint were used?
Was the student injured as a result of the restraint?
Were any other students or any staff members injured during the incident?
Do you need any support / would you like a debriefing conversation?
Form completed by:
Date:
For Principal
Lodged with Ministry of Education through ESL
Informed parents
Checked on wellbeing of staff members
Met with SENCos to review
Filed