Question reference: S6W-26331
- Date lodged: 20 March 2024
-
Current status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 April 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government which body has the responsibility for monitoring the use of seclusion and restraint in schools, and how it will ensure that this data is collected consistently across all 32 local authorities.
Answer
Restraint and seclusion should only ever be used as a last resort to prevent the risk of injury. Under existing guidance , all local authorities are asked to have policies in place governing the use of these practices and are asked to monitor their use.
As part of their scrutiny and improvement roles in schools, Education Scotland inspectors consider the impact of practice in relation to the use of physical intervention for children and young people. Where they have concerns about the safety and wellbeing of children and young people, inspectors would follow local child protection procedures and consider onward referrals to social work or the police.
The Scottish Government is developing new human-rights based guidance on the use of physical intervention in schools, including the practices of restraint and seclusion. We are due to publish the consultation analysis report on our draft physical intervention in schools guidance very shortly. We will then reconvene the physical intervention working group to make final revisions to the guidance.
Progress with this work can be followed via the working group’s webpage .