CURRENT policies and legislation around the use of restrictive practice in educational settings are "not fit for purpose and need immediate reform", a review has found.
The trauma faced by pupils who are secluded or restrained is revealed in a report published today by Koulla Yiasouma, NI Commissioner for Children and Young People.
Launching Neither Seen nor Heard - a Rights Based Review on the Use of Restraint and Seclusion in Educational Settings, Ms Yiasouma said first-hand experiences of families "must be the catalyst for change".
More than 200 survey responses from principals were submitted to the review and engagement with 39 parents/carers and nine professionals carried out.
Ms Yiasouma said "while it’s impossible to know the true extent of the practices in schools, our small study shows that they do happen and when they do, the impact on children and their families can be devastating".
"Parents revealed the negative impact the practices had on their child’s behaviour and sleep," she said.
"Poor mental health and withdrawal from family life were consistent throughout parents' accounts.
"Eating disorders, self-harm, suicide attempts and ideation were some of the more extreme manifestations of the adverse impacts on children."
Schools are not currently required to record or report instances or to inform parents they have occurred, which makes it impossible to know how widespread the practices are.
The review recommends that the Department of Education create legislation to include a provision to ban the use of seclusion in educational settings, as well as stopping the use of any techniques which inflict pain on children.
The report also states there should be a requirement for mandatory recording of all incidents of restrictive practices and the Education Authority should undertake an annual review on the use of the practices.
The commissioner said "we have very clear recommendations for the Department of Education to implement as part of its ongoing work and its own upcoming review of restraint and seclusion".
"This should aim to ensure the necessary change in practice in educational settings is child rights compliant," she added.
"Restraint should only ever be used as a measure of very last resort when a child or other children are at risk, educational settings should report all instances on the rare occasions that it takes place and teachers must attend rigorous training to ensure safety is paramount and that focus is on prevention, de-escalation and reflective practice."
