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In a children’s home, physical intervention should only ever be a last resort, used to prevent harm when everything else has been tried. The work that matters most happens long before that point: understanding what a young person needs, noticing early signs of distress, and helping them calm down. This is how we approach it, and how our staff are trained.
I’m Rhys Herbert, Managing Director of Silver Lining Care and a co-founder and trainer at our training company, SLC Training. Few topics in residential care matter more, or are misunderstood more, so I want to set out clearly how it should work.
What does Welsh guidance say about restrictive practices?
In July 2021, the Welsh Government launched its Reducing Restrictive Practices Framework. It applies across childcare, education, health and social care settings in Wales, and to people of all ages.
Its message is clear: restrictive practices, such as physical restraint, should only ever be used as a last resort to prevent harm to a person or to others. The framework takes a rights-based approach, promoting children’s rights and human rights, and recognises that restrictive practices harm the well-being of the people they’re used on, and of the people who use or witness them. Its aim is to reduce their use across Wales.
What counts as a restrictive practice?
The Welsh Government gives examples including physical restraint, chemical restraint, mechanical restraint, seclusion and long-term segregation.
What does de-escalation look like in practice?
De-escalation is everything staff do to help a young person move from distress back towards calm. In our homes it rests on a few principles:
- Know the young person. Each young person has individual plans that describe their triggers, early warning signs and what helps them. Staff plan around known risks rather than reacting to them.
- Stay regulated. A calm adult is the most powerful tool there is. Young people borrow calm from the people around them.
- Connect before you correct. Using PACE, staff acknowledge feelings first and deal with behaviour once the young person is calmer.
- Diffusion and distraction. Changing the subject, offering a choice, giving space, a change of scene or a different adult can all take the heat out of a situation.
- Match the response to the need. The Trauma Recovery Model reminds us that a young person in crisis can’t reason their way out of it, so talking about consequences waits until later.
Most potential incidents never become incidents at all because of this work. It’s quiet, skilled and rarely noticed, which is exactly the point.
When is physical intervention used?
Only when it’s absolutely necessary to prevent harm, after de-escalation hasn’t worked, and only using approved, risk-assessed approaches. We call this Positive Physical Intervention. It is never a punishment, never a way to make a young person comply, and never a substitute for the relationship-based work that comes first.
Any physical intervention should be the least restrictive option, for the shortest possible time, and proportionate to the risk.
How are our staff trained in physical intervention?
Every member of our team completes de-escalation training and BTEC Level 2 Physical Intervention through SLC Training. Because physical intervention carries real risk, the training is checked carefully:
- SLC Training’s physical intervention modules lead to BTEC Level 2 qualifications.
- Its physical intervention and breakaway techniques are regularly reviewed by an independent medical expert, Dr Tony Bleetman.
- The training is mapped to the Restraint Reduction Network (RRN) Training Standards.
- It’s set within UK law and designed to be human-rights compliant.
Training also covers safeguarding (up to Level 3) and the wider skills that prevent incidents. Read more about how SLC Training works in our post on why we train our own staff, or see its guide to conflict management in care homes.
What happens after an incident?
What happens afterwards matters as much as what happens during. After any significant incident, a member of our Behaviour Management Team attends the home in person within 24 hours, or as soon as the staff involved are next on shift, to lead a structured debrief. The debrief is there to:
- support staff well-being after a high-stress situation;
- reflect on what went well and what could be improved;
- plan consistent, relationship-based responses for the future;
- keep practice safe, informed and rooted in best practice.
Where appropriate, the learning links back to the young person’s individual risk assessment, behaviour support planning and restorative follow-up, so the relationship can be repaired and the same situation is less likely to happen again.
“I want staff that are resilient — come back after an incident without looking at me differently.”
One of our young peopleHow do we support staff to get this right?
De-escalation is a skill that improves with practice and coaching. Our Behaviour Management Team is available to staff at any time, on shift or off, for one-to-one coaching, informal refreshers and practical walkthroughs. Coaching is tailored to the young person, the team and the context, with a strong emphasis on calm, consistent practice. Strategies are coordinated across shifts, so young people don’t get mixed messages.
Frequently asked questions
Is restraint allowed in children’s homes in Wales?
Welsh Government guidance says restrictive practices should only ever be used as a last resort to prevent harm, with the aim of reducing their use. Staff must be properly trained, and any intervention must be proportionate.
What is the Reducing Restrictive Practices Framework?
A Welsh Government framework, launched in July 2021, that sets shared principles for reducing restrictive practices across childcare, education, health and social care in Wales.
What is BTEC Level 2 Physical Intervention?
It’s the qualification our staff gain through SLC Training’s physical intervention modules, covering safe, approved techniques for use only as a last resort.
What is a debrief?
A structured conversation after an incident, which supports staff, reflects on what happened, and agrees how to respond consistently in future.
Train with us
Organisations can book physical intervention, breakaway and conflict management training through SLC Training. If you’d like to work in our homes, see our vacancies: full training is included.
