BBC investigation reveals disturbing failings in school seclusion practices for autistic pupils

The BBC’s investigation into seclusion facilities, sometimes known as calming, quiet or safe rooms, also uncovered serious failings at other schools.

Too often school environments fail to prioritise proactive support that fosters emotional safety and wellbeing for children with additional needs. Current leglislation states that when distress reactions occur, cries for help can be met with restraint and enforced isolation.

Alexis Quinn, manager at the Restraint Reduction Network (RRN), said: “These practices are harmful and often create and exacerbate distress. For instance, research shows isolation is known to feel punitive, increase anxiety, depression, and feelings of abandonment and severs any potential of co-regulation and nurturance. We must be clear that enforced isolation is unjustifiable and disproportionate under human rights standards. Especially when there are ways to create inclusive, nurturing spaces that promote learning and growth rather than contributing to further harm.

Jo Gibbs, children and young people’s development lead at NDTi, said: "A punitive model of restraint or seclusion does not build trust, help young people understand and regulate their own emotions or create safe conditions where young people are empowered to learn. Rather, it creates an environment of distrust, fear and trauma and ultimately impedes learning."

Alice McColl, children and young people’s development lead at NDTi, works directly with young people with additional needs. They all agreed that: "Confinement and seclusion against a person's wishes is a blatant breach of their human rights. This is happening far too often in education and care settings. As shown here it can escalate into inhumane treatment, causing lifelong trauma for vulnerable children. Schools must adopt trauma-informed approaches, providing tailored support and treating all young people with the dignity and respect they deserve"

NDTi fully supports RRN’s call for urgent revisions to the to the Department for Education’s (DfE) draft guidance on ‘use of reasonable force and other restrictive interventions’. Despite repeated calls for a rights-based approach, the draft guidance continues to focus on justification of restraint rather than prevention. This risks a continuation of the current status quo, where the use of restrictive practices is not appropriately regulated in schools, resulting in too many occasions of vulnerable children and young people being harmed by poor practice.

Read RRN's response to the current DfE consultation.