PB4L: Restraint PD

PB4L

Edwin - School-wide Practitioner

Distinguishing between minor and major behaviours and how they're treated

Main goal of PB4L is to make it consistent for staff; what are we going to put up with, what are we not going to put up with? How do we respond to good and inappropriate behaviour? 

We are interested in developing consistency because it is the most impactful

Good place to start as a staff is defining a minor and major behaviour. 

When is it minor?

Is in appropriate behaviour that is dealt with then and there with classroom teacher. Might be quick chat, offering choices, resolved then and there. 

'Minor' behaviour is not unimportant behaviour; it still needs addressing. The most valuable behaviours to pour attention into solving are minor behaviours because if not dealt with correctly can escalate into major behaviours. 

Major behaviour

Necessitates the removal of the child from the environment in order to address the issues. 

Might be removing them from the reading group/class to address the behaviour. May be sending to the office to talk to senior management. 

Best practice should be the child's teacher resolving the issue, not passing it onto someone else. 

Passing the behaviour onto someone else illustrates that you wither don't have the time to deal with it, or cannot cope with it; it may undermine your "power". If you need time to sort it out with the child, it is better that SLT come to your class to release you so that you can address it. 

When we class behaviour as a major behaviour we are not saying that we will increase the consequence, we are just saying that it will be a more considered and intense approach to resolving. Will be an in depth analysis of causes for the behaviour. Could include discussions with teacher, SLT, Child and/or parent. More time-intensive response to the behaviour. 

A major behaviour is... 

Something that necessitates the child being removed from the classroom. A major doesnt have to be causing harm; it is just something that disrupts the whole classes learning. 

When it:

1. threatens the safety of others/is dangerous behaviour, is a clear and present threat to safety. Might be to the teacher, other students, or themselves. 
2. Any behaviour that takes more than two minutes to resolve satisfactorily. The number is flexible; as a school we might decide it needs to be 3 minutes. May not threaten anyone elses safety. Might just be that a student is not following directions consistently for the time frame of 2 or more minutes. It is getting in the way of other students' learning. 
3. A repeated minor behaviour. It might be the 3rd time that week that the same behaviour has presented, i.e. student is not following instructions for the 3rd time that week. If the student is misbehaving, even minor misbehaviour resulting in a consequence, it shows that the consequence is not working because he/she is not responding to the strategy we are using to deal with this behaviour. 
4. Illegal behaviour: Child brings an illegal substance, hunting knife to school, property damage.

Crisis Behaviour

That which necessitates the immediate involvement of an external agency: e.g. you would immediately contact CYF's, Police, etc. 

"Swear Words"

Rather than narrowing down a list of swear words that children can or cannot use, look at the intent behind words. If the word (any word!) is meant to cause harm to the other person, it is something that should not be said. 

The Use of Physical Restraint

What is restraint? 

Legal definition is: 
Using your body to limit the movement of another persons body. 

This means giving a child a hug for comfort. Holding a child by the hand and walking them to the mat is not restraint unless they are not obliging; if they are resisting it becomes restraint, so let go! 

Restraining a child for non-compliance will always be a threat to you legally. 

Things like verbal threats should not result in physical restraints. 

It is legally justifiable to use physical restraint if:

• it is in self-defence
• there is a clear and present threat to someones safety (yours, child's, other children)
• your use of physical restraint was the last resort; if you have the opportunity to attempt other options and this has failed. 
• You can only restrain a person for the time that the threat to safety exists. If the restraint continues it becomes part of the consequence and is inappropriate. 
• The restraint needs to be proportionate and retains their dignity wherever possible; the minimum intervention necessary to minimize the threat; I.E. a NE student shouldn't need 6 adults to hold them down.

What are our legal rights, responsibilities, when is it justified and when is it hazardous. 

Recent change to the education act:

• education act states that any adult who needs to physically restrain a students must be authorised by your board. This might be refer to a teacher, teacher aide, parent, etc. If they do not have authorisation they should not be put in a situation where this may be necessary. 
• As soon as possible jot down details of any physical restraint incidents and they must be reported to the ministry. Prior to this, the ministry did not have any data on numbers of physical restraints. 
• Filling out the form underscores the fact that physical restraint is a serious business. We want to e very sure that any physical restraint is justified. The form is also useful for professional insurance. If a complaint comes back to the school regarding the restraint and you have documented the incident, that acts like your insurance. If you do not have any notes on the incident this could mean

Wrap ups...

If a child's parents give you written permission to restain the child, even if it's signed by a justice of the peace, IT MEANS NOTHING. 

If you find yourself in a situation where a child is attacking another child using a pair of scissors, are you obliged to intervene? You may feel morally obliged but you are not legally obliged. Your right to safety comes first. The law cannot compel you to impair your own safety. You would need to isolate the child and possibly evacuate other students. Do everything you can short of putting yourself in danger. 

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