Children ‘harmed’ by school restraint practices

VULNERABLE Scottish schoolchildren are suffering physical and mental harm from potentially illegal restraint and seclusion practices, it emerged yesterday.

A child with a mental age of three was left ‘traumatised’ and ‘distraught’ after being locked in a school cloakroom, according to Children’s Commissioner Bruce Adamson.

He revealed that children suffered bruising and some have ‘become so distressed they soil themselves’. Mr Adamson’s investigation found that many Scottish councils lack clear policies on how restraint and seclusion should be used to deal with difficult youngsters.

And he complained of an Orwellian use of language in some cases, with isolation described as ‘calming rooms’ and restraint called in one case a ‘positive handling phase’.

His report comes after he received photographic evidence of ‘injuries alleged to have been sustained at school’ by disabled children.

Mr Adamson said: ‘All children have the right to feel safe. They have a right to be protected from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

‘Restraint and seclusion should only ever be used as a last resort to prevent harm, not as a means of behaviour management.

‘Our investigation revealed a complete lack of consistency across authorities. More worrying, we have heard from young people, their parents and carers how these practices are used as discipline or punishment, without an understanding of needs or care for individuals.’ He said his team

‘Multiple bruises on his arms and legs’

had heard of the ‘terrible loss of dignity for children restrained or placed in seclusion who become so distressed that they soil themselves’.

One parent, Sharon Gardner, said that her son had experienced ‘serious mental health issues’ after being locked in a room at school.

She said: ‘Families whose children have experienced restraint and seclusion have been desperate for someone to properly look into this issue.’

Another parent told of her five-year-old child, who has a mental age of three, becoming ‘traumatised’ and ‘distraught’ after being locked in a cloakroom at school. She added that her child was ‘not sleeping well and screaming in his sleep, very reluctant to go into school’.

Beth Morrison said her son Calum, who is now an adult, was restrained at age 11 by four staff members at his school. She said he was restrained, face down, on the floor and urinated while being held, before being put in a ‘time-out’ chair in his wet clothes.

It was later discovered that Calum had multiple bruises on his arms and legs, as well as abrasions to his spine. He also had widespread petechial haemorrhaging on his upper chest and his lips were blue, which is a sign of asphyxia.

Mr Adamson said: ‘There are no standards to identify what we mean by isolation and seclusion, yet what we have heard from young people, their parents and carers how these are used as punishment, without an understanding of needs or care for individuals.

‘Clear and consistent policies and procedures are urgently needed.’

The Scottish Government, councils and other relevant bodies now have until the end of January to respond to the report.