The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has taken a courageous step. Their resignation letter from a DE national taskforce on the use of restraint and seclusion in schools received national attention. The RCN withdrew from the Restraint and Seclusion Task Finish Group with "immediate effect," citing a lack of "clear assurances" from the DE. This ruling highlights the RCN’s deep worries about the DE’s new policy on this hot button topic.
RCN entered into the taskforce with our eyes wide open. They wanted to ensure that any long-term guidance on restraint and seclusion in schools would work for both children and staff. They have spoken out against the DE’s current approach. They perceive this as being forced to bear the blame for an inevitable course of action that they’re not willing to pursue.
"These assurances have not been provided. This puts the RCN in the potential position of being ascribed a responsibility for a direction that we are unable to support and was developed despite, rather than as a consequence of, our involvement," said Ms Devlin.
The RCN has also recommended that health professionals who work with children and young people should be adopting current Department of Health (DoH) guidance. These policies offer concrete guideposts and benchmarks to further reduce harmful exclusionary practices. For comparison, here’s how this guidance stands in contrast to the DE’s interim and draft statutory guidance on restraint and seclusion. The RCN notes that the latter has no legal enforceability over schools and does not guarantee alignment with human rights.
The RCN have expressed concerns about the DE’s sincerity in following through with their promise to repeal Article 4(c) of the Education (NI) Order 1998. This pledge came from the former education minister.
"The RCN withdrawing from this group is incredibly serious. Their letter outlined concerns as to whether the Department of Education is committed to the elimination of the use of seclusion in educational settings and the minimisation of all restrictive interventions," commented Michelle Guy.
The DE released draft statutory guidance in 2023. It reaffirms the principle that restraint and seclusion must be used only when all other alternatives have failed. The RCN has already expressed these grave concerns. They are seeking more unequivocal commitments regarding human rights compliance and reduction of restrictive practices.
"We are in danger of continuing to have differing guidance within educational settings and health settings, which only creates unnecessary inconsistency," added Michelle Guy.
