Special-needs schools ask for staff training on the safe restraint of pupils

The National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education (NABMSE) said it understands concerns expressed by parents and children in a document published last week about improper use of restraint and seclusion in schools.

The Inclusion Ireland report highlighted 14 cases in which parents said their children with disabilities were injured or traumatised from being physically restrained by staff or secluded in unsuitable rooms without supervision.

Inclusion Ireland said that there have been long delays by the Department of Education in the production of guidelines for schools.

Last week, the department said it had been working for the past year on guidelines, which it expects to publish by next summer. The guidelines would help with the correct response when a student poses a threat of harm to themselves or to others.

“We are advised that the... guidelines [are being] designed to provide more comprehensive guidance on how this very complex aspect of our education system can be managed,” said Breda Corr, general secretary of NABMSE, which represents 200 special schools and mainstream primary schools that have pupils who have special educational needs.

We would welcome the early publication of these guidelines and the provision of related training for all school staff involved in this field,” she said.

Ms Corr said their first concern is always for their students, but that there is immense dedication and commitment, among individual principals and teachers, in providing care and education for students who present with various and ongoing challenges.

The department said the guidelines will make clear that restraint and seclusion of pupils are never for the purposes of discipline, should be applied proportionately, and should only last as long as necessary to de-escalate a situation. The proper recording of such incidents, and how they are managed, will be emphasised to schools.

However, the department said schools already have guidance, which advises them that restraint, or other specialised behaviour-management strategies, should not be used without expert advice, training, and monitoring.

The schools have also been told that it is inappropriate to leave students unsupervised as a sanctionary measure.