Safer Places Evaluation

This project will explore the implementation of a policy within one care provider to minimise physical restraint of looked after children and young people in residential care. Although long-standing concerns about the potential harm caused by restraint have led to progress in reducing its use, a recent international review identified only one study from the UK on this topic (Roy et al, 2019). This study offers the opportunity to contribute important insights into how organisations caring for looked after children in residential settings can implement policies to reduce physical restraint.
It will examine: • Level of restraint reduction achieved • Frontline residential staff and managers’ perspectives on how practice has changed, what factors have influenced change and on benefits or drawbacks of minimising physical restraint
• How children have perceived this change • What is needed to ensure that beneficial changes are sustained