✨ School Physical Restraint Guidelines
NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 89 — 1 SEPTEMBER 2017
Acceptable Physical Contact
Staff may need to physically support students. The following situations involving physical contact to support students happen in schools every day:
- Temporary physical contact, such as an open hand on the arm, back or shoulders to remove a student from a situation to a safer place.
- Supporting a student to move them to another location, or help them to get in a vehicle or use the stairs.
- The practice of harness restraint, when keeping a student and others safe in a moving vehicle, or when recommended by a physiotherapist or occupational therapist for safety or body positioning.
- Younger students, especially in their first year of school, sometimes need additional help. For example, you may “shepherd” a group of younger students from one place to another.
- Staff may hold the hand of a young student who is happy to have their hand held for a short time.
- Staff may pick a student up to comfort them.
- Assisting a student with toileting, including changing a nappy.
Use preventative and de-escalation techniques first
The first aim is to avoid needing to use physical restraint.
Use the following strategies to prevent or de-escalate potentially dangerous behaviour. These are general suggestions only.
Preventative techniques
Understand the student
- Get to know the student and identify potentially difficult times or situations that may be stressful or difficult for them.
- Identify the student’s personal signs of stress or unhappiness and intervene early.
- Monitor wider classroom/playground behaviour carefully for potential areas of conflict.
Respect the student
- Demonstrate a supportive approach: “I’m here to help.”
- Be flexible in your responses: adapt what you’re doing to the demands of the situation.
- Be reasonable: a reasonable action, request or expectation deserves a reasonable response.
- Promote and accept compromise or negotiated solutions, while maintaining your authority.
- Take the student seriously and address issues quickly.
Preserve the student’s dignity
- Address private or sensitive issues in private.
- Avoid the use of inappropriate humour such as sarcasm or mocking.
De-escalation techniques
Safety first – create space and time
- Remove the audience – ask other students to take their work and move away.
- Give the student physical space.
- Name the emotion in a calm even voice: “You look really angry”, “I can see that you are very frustrated”...
- Wait.
Communicate calmly
- Talk quietly, even when the person is loud.
- Try to remain calm and respectful.
- Monitor your own body language and allow the student the opportunity to move out of the situation with dignity.
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NZ Gazette 2017, No 89
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Guidelines for Registered Schools in New Zealand on the Use of Physical Restraint
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🎓 Education, Culture & SciencePhysical Restraint, Guidelines, Registered Schools, Student Safety, Staff Wellbeing, Teachers, Authorised Staff, Legal Framework, Seclusion Ban, Board Responsibilities, Communication, Review, Good Practice, Risk Assessment, De-escalation Techniques, Physical Contact, Preventative Techniques, De-escalation Techniques, Student Support