Appendix G
1982
Act
Guidance for New Zealand
Schools on Behaviour
Management to Minimise
Physical Restraint Information
October 2016
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Guidance for New Zealand schools on the minimisation of physical restraint
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1982
Act
Information
Official
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Released

Foreword
This guide has been developed to help schools address the uncertainty staff experience
when faced with a student exhibiting difficult behaviour that may escalate into a dangerous
situation.
The guide’s aim is to strengthen the good practice already happening in schools, and avoid 1982
the need for physical restraint or the use of seclusion.
Student and staff wellbeing is at the heart of this guide. Inclusive practices and safe
environments are of greatest importance for all students.
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Physical restraint: a last resort
Physical restraint is a serious intervention. The emotional and physical impact on the student
being restrained, and the person doing the restraining, can be significant. There are legal and
reputational risks if a student is harmed.
Staff need to use their professional judgement when they decide whether to use physical
restraint. They should consider their duty of care to students, their right to protect
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themselves and others from harm, and their obligation to act lawfully.
Physical restraint should only be used in emergency situations when the student’s behaviour
poses an imminent danger of physical injury to themselves or others.
Eliminating seclusion
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Seclusion should no longer be used in New Zealand schools.
the
Developing the guide: expertise from throughout the sector
An Advisory Group from across the sector developed the guide. The group included
representatives from the Special Education Principals’ Association of New Zealand, the
New Zealand Principals’ Federation, the New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa, the
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New Zealand School Trustees Association, the Secondary Principals’ Association of
New Zealand, the New Zealand Post Primary Teachers Association, the Ministry of Health, the
High and Complex Needs Unit, and the Ministry of Education.
The guide takes into account current international research and directions. It respects
students’ rights under the Bil of Rights Act 1990, the Education Act 1989, the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
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Persons with Disabilities 2007, the National Administration Guideline 5, the Vulnerable
Children Act 2014, the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and the Crimes Act 1961.
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The purpose of this guide
The purpose of this guide is to provide school staff with safe ways to manage potential y
dangerous situations where a student may need to be physical y restrained.
Fol owing the guide on physical restraint you wil  find guidance on alternatives to seclusion.
Its aim is to minimise the use of physical restraint. Where there is imminent danger of
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physical injury, the first response is to prevent or de-escalate the situation. This guide gives
generic techniques for de-escalation.
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It also gives options for responding if prevention or de-escalation do not work.
The guide describes how to incorporate physical restraint into an Individual Behaviour Plan if
necessary. It covers who to involve in the decision-making, including parents and caregivers.
The guide directs staff to training in techniques for managing potential y dangerous
situations and applying physical restraint safely.
It also suggests how to debrief and report a situation involving physical restraint.
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Student and staff wellbeing come first
Physical restraint affects the wellbeing of both the student and the staff member who applies
it. It is associated with injury and increased emotional trauma for both.
Therefore, this guide focuses on staff and student safety and wellbeing. It provides staff with
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techniques for preventing and de-escalating potential y dangerous situations.
If you follow this guide when deciding
the whether or not to use physical restraint, you will
minimise the risk of hurting a student or being hurt yourself. And the risk of legal liability can
be mitigated.
What is physical restraint?
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Physical restraint is when a school staff member uses their own body to deliberately limit the
movement of a student.
Match physical restraint to the situation
•  Only use physical restraint where it is justifiable in the particular circumstances.  The
guide provides scenarios where it may be justifiable, but school staff need to use their
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judgement to decide when physical restraint is warranted.
•  Respond only proportionately to the level of risk.
•  Use the minimum force necessary to respond to the risk of imminent danger.
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Guidance for New Zealand Schools on Behaviour Management to Minimise Physical Restraint

•  Use physical restraint only for as long as is needed to prevent the imminent danger of
physical injury and ensure the safety of everyone involved.
You may need to physically help students
The fol owing are not examples of physical restraint.
•  Temporary physical contact, such as a hand on the arm, back or shoulders to remove a
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student from a situation to a safer place.
•  Holding a student with a disability to move them to another location, or help them to get
in a vehicle or use the stairs.
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•  The practice of harness restraint, when keeping a student and others safe in a moving
vehicle, or when recommended by a physiotherapist or occupational therapist for safety
or body positioning.
Younger children, especial y in their first year of school, sometimes need additional help. For
example, you may “shepherd” a group of younger children from one place to another. You
may hold the hand of a young child who is happy to have their hand held for a short time.
You may pick a child up to comfort briefly. This is also not restraint.
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Identifying when you may need to apply physical restraint
Use physical restraint only where there is “imminent danger of physical injury”
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Physical restraint is a serious intervention. If you have an alternative to physical y restraining
a student, use it. Resort to physical restraint only when:
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•  The student’s behaviour poses an imminent danger of physical injury to other students,
staff, themselves or others.
•  You have used preventative and de-escalation techniques and not been able to reduce
the risk of injury.
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What is “imminent danger of physical injury”?
You will need to use your professional judgement to decide what constitutes “imminent
danger”. These situations are examples:
•  A student is moving in with a weapon, or something that could be used as a weapon,
and is clearly intent on using violence towards another person.
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•  A student is physical y attacking another person, or is about to.
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•  A student is, for example, throwing furniture, computers, or breaking glass close to
others who would be injured if hit.
•  A student is putting themselves in danger, for example running onto a road or trying to
harm themselves.
These situations do not pose imminent danger
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Avoid using physical restraint to manage behaviour in these situations:
•  To respond to behaviour that is disrupting the classroom but not putting anyone in
danger of being hurt.
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•  For refusal to comply with an adult’s request.
•  To respond to verbal threats.
•  To stop a student who is trying to leave the classroom or school without permission.
•  As coercion, discipline or punishment.
•  For damaging property, unless this could cause injury. Information
Guidance if you have to use physical restraint
What to do if prevention and de-escalation do not work
•  Ideally, physical restraint should only be applied by staff trained in its safe use, and
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trained in emergency first aid such as CPR.
•  There may be no one with training nearby. If, as an untrained adult, you feel you can use
physical restraint safely – both for yourself and the student – use your judgement and
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intervene.
•  If you do not have the skil s or confidence to safely restrain a student, remove the other
students from the scene and call for help.
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•  Call the police when a student cannot be managed safely and the imminent danger to
students, staff or themselves remains after al  alternatives have been explored.

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Guidance for New Zealand Schools on Behaviour Management to Minimise Physical Restraint

Do not use these restraints
If you have to use physical restraint, avoid these restraint holds to minimise the likelihood of
injuring a student:
•  Physical restraint that inhibits the student’s breathing, speaking or main method of
communication, for example physical restraint that inhibits a student’s ability to use sign
language.
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•  Prone (face-down) physical restraint.
•  Pressure points and pain holds.
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•  Tackling, sitting, lying or kneeling on a student.
•  Pressure on the chest or neck.
•  Hyperextension (bending back) of joints.
•  Headlocks.
•  Using force to take/drag a student, who is resisting, to another location.
•  Restraint when moving a student from one place to another – trying to get them into a
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van or taxi, for example – when they are in an escalated state, as this may escalate them
further.
Monitor wellbeing throughout when applying physical restraint
•  The physical and psychological state of the student being restrained should be
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continuously monitored by the person performing the restraint and other people
present.
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•  Apply physical restraint only for the minimum time necessary and stop as soon as the
danger has passed.
•  Monitor the physical and psychological wellbeing of both the student and the staff
member who applied the restraint for the rest of the school day. Watch for shock,
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possible unnoticed injury and delayed effects.
•  Contact parents or caregivers on the same day, as soon as possible after the incident, so
they can monitor their child’s wellbeing at home.
•  If the student is in a residential school or home, inform the residential team so they can
monitor the student’s wel being after school.
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Guidance for New Zealand Schools on Behaviour Management to Minimise Physical Restraint
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Use preventative and de-escalation techniques first
Your first aim is to avoid needing to use physical restraint.
Use the fol owing strategies for unexpected “one-off” incidents, as well as for students who
regularly present with high-risk behaviours. These are general suggestions. For students with
high-risk behaviours, have an Individual Behaviour Plan developed, tailored to the student’s
needs.
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Preventative techniques
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Understand the student
•  Get to know the student and identify potentially difficult times or situations that may be
stressful or difficult for them.
•  Identify the student’s personal signs of stress or unhappiness and intervene early.
•  Monitor wider classroom/playground behaviour carefully for potential areas of conflict.
Respect the student
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•  Demonstrate a supportive approach: “I’m here to help.”
•  Be flexible in your responses: adapt what you’re doing to the demands of the situation.
•  Be reasonable: a reasonable action, request or expectation deserves a reasonable
response.
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•  Promote and accept compromise or negotiated solutions, while maintaining your
authority.
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•  Take the student seriously and address issues quickly.
Preserve the student’s dignity
•  Address private or sensitive issues in private.
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•  Avoid the use of inappropriate humour such as sarcasm or mocking.

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Guidance for New Zealand Schools on Behaviour Management to Minimise Physical Restraint

De-escalation techniques
Safety first – create space and time
•  Remove the audience – ask other students to take their work and move away.
•  Give the student physical space.
•  Name the emotion in a calm even voice: “You look really angry”, “I can see that you are
very frustrated”.
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•  Wait.
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Communicate calmly
•  Talk quietly, even when the student is loud.
•  Try to remain calm and respectful.
•  Monitor your own body language and al ow the student the opportunity to move out of
the situation with dignity.
•  Focus on communicating respect and your desire to help.
•  Keep verbal interactions respectful.
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•  When appropriate, give the student clear choices and/or directions to help them feel
more secure and regain control.
Think ahead in case the situation escalates
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•  If escalation occurs, move further away.
•  Make sure you have an exit plan.
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•  Constantly reassess the situation.
•  Send for help if necessary.
What may escalate the behaviour
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•  Threatening the student.
•  Arguing or interrupting.
•  Contradicting what the student says – even if they are wrong.
•  Chal enging the student.
•  Trying to shame the student or showing your disrespect for the student.
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An Individual Behaviour Plan
A student may present regularly with high-risk behaviour. Their support team may agree to
include physical restraint in their Individual Behaviour Plan as an emergency strategy for
keeping people safe.  Making this part of their plan ensures an individualised approach that
is tailored to the student’s needs.
The Individual Behaviour Plan should outline the preventative and de-escalation strategies
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which, if successfully implemented, would prevent the need for physical restraint. It should
clearly state that physical restraint is only to be used when the student’s behaviour poses an
imminent danger of physical injury to themselves or others.
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The team supporting the student should ensure the type of physical restraint used is
consistent with the student’s individual needs and characteristics, including:
•  The student’s age, size and gender.
•  Any impairments the student has, for example physical, intellectual, neurological,
behavioural, sensory (visual or hearing) impairments, or impairments to communication.
•  Any mental health issues or psychological conditions the student has, particularly any
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history of trauma or abuse.
•  Any other medical conditions the student may have.
•  The student’s likely response to preventative, de-escalation and physical restraint
techniques.
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Parents or caregivers should always be a member of the team developing the plan
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•  Parents or caregivers should be able to help make decisions about their child and should
agree to the interventions that wil  be put in place to support them.
•  Parents or caregivers should be fully informed if physical restraint is identified in the
student’s Individual Behaviour Plan, including how it will be applied in accordance with
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this guide.
•  Parents or caregivers should be told as soon as possible on the same day about the
incident and how it was managed in accordance with the guide.
•  If the student is in a residential school or home, the residential team should be told so
the student’s wellbeing can be monitored after school.
Al  relevant professionals and parents or caregivers should have a copy of the Individual
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Behaviour Plan. It should be signed off by the Principal (or Principal’s delegate) and the
student’s parents or caregivers.
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Guidance for New Zealand Schools on Behaviour Management to Minimise Physical Restraint

The use of physical restraint should be regularly reviewed and monitored by the team
supporting the student.
Training in safe responses
For the whole school
A training package, Understanding Behaviour – Responding Safely, has been developed for  1982
New Zealand schools. It includes a full-day workshop for al  staff and ongoing support
afterwards. The training can be delivered in modules rather than a full day if this is a better
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option for your school. The focus is on preventative and de-escalation techniques. Contact
your local Ministry of Education district office for information about this training.
For the team supporting the student
•  The team directly supporting the student should be taught how to safely restrain the
student when positive, preventative and de-escalation strategies have not been effective.
Parents and caregivers who have to use physical restraint in the home environment may
want to be part of this training. If there is a Ministry or RTLB practitioner on the team,
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they can discuss the individualised training options available. Otherwise contact the
Ministry about training.
•  Some schools have a high number of students with intellectual disability or
developmental delay who regularly present with potentially dangerous behaviour. In
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these schools, ensure that enough staff are trained in safe physical restraint to meet the
needs of the student population.
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The rest of the school staff should be made aware of these things:
•  They should know that physical restraint should only be used in emergency situations,
and only when less restrictive interventions have not ended imminent danger of physical
injury to the student or others.
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•  They should know the basic safe handling practices. They should know the forms of
physical restraint that may compromise health and safety, and the serious physical risks
associated with some physical restraint techniques. These include the risk of asphyxia and
sudden death.
Good practice following an incident involving physical restraint
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After an incident involving physical restraint, take these steps to ensure everyone involved
stays safe, future incidents can be prevented if possible, the parents or caregivers know, and
the incident is reported.
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•  Check the staff member and the student regularly to ensure they are not in shock.
Support them as necessary.
•  Ensure the parents or caregivers of the student are told as soon as possible after the
incident, so they can monitor the student’s wellbeing at home.
•  If the student attends a residential school, ensure the residential team is told, so the
student’s wellbeing can be monitored after school.
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•  Reflect formal y on why the incident occurred that resulted in the student being
restrained. Consider what might have prevented it, and what might need to change to
minimise the likelihood of it happening again.
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•  Consider whether al  preventative and de-escalation strategies were used according to
the Individual Behaviour Plan and whether the restraint used was safe.
•  Write an incident report for the team directly supporting the student.
•  Review the Individual Behaviour Plan and make decisions as a team about what needs to
be strengthened to minimise the likelihood of a similar incident.
Suggestions about managing follow-up after the incident
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Your school may already have its own processes. Use these best-practice suggestions as you
wish to develop procedures that suit your needs.
Reporting the incident
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•  Tell the parents or caregivers the same day the incident occurred.
•  Write up every incident of physical restraint in an incident report and reflect on it. See the
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templates at the end of this guide.
•  Have the staff members involved in the physical restraint sign the report, as well as the
Principal or Principal’s delegate.
•  Put the completed forms on the student’s file, and make them available to the student’s
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teacher and parents or caregivers.
Debriefing the incident
Debriefing staff
•  Hold a debriefing session with involved staff, the Principal or Principal’s delegate, and
another mem
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days of the incident.
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Guidance for New Zealand Schools on Behaviour Management to Minimise Physical Restraint

•  In the debriefing, focus on the incident, the lead-up to it, the different interventions used
that were unsuccessful in de-escalating the behaviour, and what could have been done
differently.
•  If Ministry or RTLB practitioners are part of the student’s team, involve them in the
debriefing process.
•  If the police were involved in the incident, invite them to participate in the debriefing
session.
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•  Write notes from the debrief along with next steps or actions.
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Debriefing parents or caregivers
•  Offer the parents or caregivers a separate debriefing as soon as practical y possible,
preferably within two days of the incident.
•  At this meeting, give them the opportunity to discuss the incident. Invite them to
become active partners in exploring alternatives to restraint. If appropriate, involve the
student in this debriefing session.
•  Write notes from the debriefing along with next steps or actions.
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Managing complaints from parents
It is understandable that some parents may feel upset if their child has been physical y
restrained. Al  schools wil  have a policy on responding to parent complaints.
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The school should also contact the local Ministry office if the complaint cannot be easily
resolved. If further investigation is required then the Ministry reserves the right to be a party
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to that process.
Adapting the Individual Behaviour Plan
•  Hold a meeting as soon as possible. Involve the team supporting the student, including
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the parents or caregivers, and the residential team manager if the student is enrol ed in a
residential school. Use the meeting to review the Individual Behaviour Plan and the
physical restraint processes fol owed in the incident.
•  In the updated plan, identify ways to prevent the need to use physical restraint in the
future.
•  Incorporate in the plan the suggestions of parents or caregivers and, if appropriate, the
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student.
•  If a behaviour specialist from the Ministry or RTLB service is supporting the team around
the student, involve them in the review of the plan.
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•  Put al  relevant documentation in the student’s file, and copy it to the student’s teacher
and parents or caregivers.
School policies on physical restraint
•  Each school should develop policies on physical restraint that fol ow this guide. Make
policies available for all parents and caregivers.
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•  Provide a clear complaints process for the students, parents and caregivers.
•  Review the policy as part of the school’s annual review cycle.
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Governance responsibilities
Collect data in accordance with the Privacy Act 1993. Full details are at
www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1993/0028/latest/DLM296639.html.
Promote the minimisation of physical restraint
The Principal or Principal’s delegate is responsible for:  Information
•  Promoting the goal of minimising the use of physical restraint through a focus on
alternative strategies.
•  Ensuring appropriate training is provided that aligns with the goal of minimising physical
restraint in schools.
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Monitor and report the use of physical restraint
The Principal or Principal’s delegate is responsible for:
the
•  Monitoring the use of physical restraint in the school (to include gathering and analysing
information, identifying trends, and checking that documentation about each incident is
complete). under
•  Col ating information about physical restraint in a report and sharing data on physical
restraint regularly with the Board of Trustees via the Principal’s report at Board meetings
– do this in a public-excluded session.
•  Managing any complaints and feedback.
Oversight by the Board of Trustees
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The Board of Trustees is responsible for governance oversight:
•  If physical restraint has been used, schools are encouraged to contact the Ministry of
Education for advice and support.
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Guidance for New Zealand Schools on Behaviour Management to Minimise Physical Restraint

•  The ERO may review a school’s use of physical restraint, as they would any other school
operation or procedure.
•  The Ministry of Education, through the Health and Safety Sector Reference Group, has
provided schools with a practical guide to the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. The
guide provides an overview to the legislation, outlines the responsibilities of boards of
trustees and school leaders under it and is intended as a supplementary resource. This
wil  help to support the people involved in governance and leadership at schools/kura to  1982
develop a clear understanding of what the legislation means for them. The primary
source of information must be the legislation itself, the Regulations made under the
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legislation and WorkSafe New Zealand. We recommend al  schools read this guide – it
can be found on the Ministry or NZSTA’s websites,
http://www.education.govt.nz/ministry-of-education/specific-initiatives/health-and-
safety/h-and-s-for-boards-of-trustees-and-school-leaders/
Guidance on Alternatives to Seclusion
Seclusion is an extremely serious intervention. It is potential y traumatic and can harm a
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student’s wellbeing. It is an inappropriate response to a child’s behaviour and it must be
eliminated.
Student and staff wellbeing is at the heart of this guidance. The overall goal is to promote
safe, inclusive learning environments that foster the wellbeing and education of al  students.
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Schools need to consider their duty of care to students, their right to protect themselves and
others from harm, and their obligation to act lawfully.
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The Advisory Group agreed that eliminating seclusion is both essential and achievable. The
research showed us that this practice is risky and potential y harmful, physical y and
psychologically.
In line with evidence-based practice, it is recommended to focus on interventions that are
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strengths-based and positive to prevent the need for seclusion.
Seclusion has been associated with trauma and injury (sometimes self-inflicted). All staff
should be aware of the possible effects of seclusion on a student’s wellbeing. They should
also understand that seclusion can no longer be used.
Any schools secluding students should stop this practice immediately. Any instance of
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seclusion must be reported to the Board of Trustees and to the local Ministry of Education
office. The Ministry wil  support schools to explore other options so that this practice ceases
with immediate effect.
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What is seclusion?
Seclusion is when a student is involuntarily placed alone in a room, at any time or for any
duration, from which they cannot freely exit. The door may be locked, blocked or held shut.
This may occur in any room that is lockable or, even if not locked, where a level of authority
or coercion leads to a student believing that they must not or cannot exit the room in which
they are confined.
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When used in this way, seclusion has no therapeutic value nor does it promote mental and
physical wellbeing. It also creates serious health and safety risks if a child cannot leave a
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locked or blocked room if there is an emergency such as a fire. In the event of something
like this occurring this action would be a serious breach of the Health and Safety Act.
Seclusion is not the use of timeout such as:
•  When a student is asked to leave an activity or area because of their behaviour and go to
another specified area where they must stay until told they can return.
•  When a student voluntarily takes themselves to an agreed space or unlocked room (part
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of a planned intervention) to de-stimulate or calm down.
•  When they take themselves, or are asked, to go to a quiet place in the classroom to calm
down.
It is seclusion that we are eliminating not other forms of timeout.  Every school should take
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the opportunity to assess their policies with respect to timeout practice to ensure that there
is no overlap with or it cannot be construed as seclusion.
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Involving the police
In the event that incidents cannot be resolved quickly and where there is a sustained level of
significant physical risk the police should be contacted.
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Use preventative and de-escalation techniques
Use the fol owing strategies for unexpected “one-off” incidents, as well as for students who
regularly present with high-risk behaviours. These are general suggestions. For students with
high-risk behaviours, have an Individual Behaviour Plan developed, tailored to the student’s
needs.
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Preventative techniques
Understand the student:
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Guidance for New Zealand Schools on Behaviour Management to Minimise Physical Restraint

•  Get to know the student and identify potentially difficult times or situations that may be
stressful or difficult for them.
•  Identify the student’s personal signs of stress or unhappiness and intervene early.
•  Monitor wider classroom/playground behaviour carefully for potential areas of conflict.
Respect the student:
•  Demonstrate a supportive approach: “I’m here to help.”
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•  Be flexible in your responses: adapt what you’re doing to the demands of the situation.
•  Be reasonable: a reasonable action, request or expectation is more likely to achieve a
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reasonable response.
•  Promote and accept compromise or negotiated solutions, while maintaining your
authority.
•  Take the student seriously and address issues quickly.
Preserve the student’s dignity:
•  Address private or sensitive issues in private.
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•  Avoid the use of inappropriate humour such as sarcasm or mocking.
De-escalation techniques
Safety first – create space and time:  Official
•  Remove the audience – ask other students to take their work and move away.
•  Give the student physical space.
the
•  Name the emotion in a calm even voice: “You look real y angry”, “I can see that you are
very frustrated”.
•  Wait.
under
Communicate calmly:
•  Talk quietly, even when the student is loud.
•  Try to remain calm and respectful.
•  Monitor your own body language and al ow the student the opportunity to move out of
the situation with dignity.
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•  Focus on communicating respect and your desire to help.
•  Keep verbal interactions respectful.
Guidance for New Zealand Schools on Behaviour Management to Minimise Physical Restraint
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•  When appropriate, give the student clear choices and/or directions to help them feel
more secure and regain control.
Think ahead in case the situation escalates:
•  If escalation occurs, move further away.
•  Make sure you have an exit plan.
•  Constantly reassess the situation.
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•  Send for help if necessary.
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What may escalate the behaviour
•  Threatening the student.
•  Arguing or interrupting.
•  Contradicting what the student says – even if they are wrong.
•  Chal enging the student.
•  Trying to shame the student or showing your disrespect for the student.
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Acknowledgements
We wish to thank the fol owing members of the cross-sector Advisory Group for their work in
contributing to the development of this guidance:
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Bernadette Anne (High and Complex Needs Unit, Colin Hamlin (Ministry of Health), Justine
Henderson (New Zealand Educational Institute), Denise Torrey (New Zealand Principals
Federation), Lorraine Kerr (New Zealand
the  School Trustees Association), Angela King (Post
Primary Teachers Association), Patrick Walsh (Secondary Principals Association of New
Zealand), Graeme Daniel (Special Education Principals’ Association of New Zealand), Bruce
Cull (Ministry of Education), Brian Coffey (Ministry of Education), David Pluck (Ministry of
Education), Di Thomas (Ministry of Education), Murray Roberts (Ministry of Education), and
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Terri Johnstone (Contractor).

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Guidance for New Zealand Schools on Behaviour Management to Minimise Physical Restraint

Reporting templates for physical restraint
(Sample only – many schools will have established processes to reflect on incidents where restraint
has been used, and have good reporting processes)
Instructions
1.  Attach the debriefing forms and any other relevant form (eg, Injury Form) to the Physical
Restraint Incident Form.
2.  Place copies of these forms in the student’s file. Make the copied forms available to the
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student’s teacher/s and the student’s parents or caregivers.
3.  Share data on physical restraint incidents with the Board of Trustees via the Principal’s report.
Only share this data in a session that excludes the public.
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1.  Physical restraint incident report (staff)
•  The staff involved in restraining the student should complete this as soon as
possible and within 24 hours.
•  The incident report should be signed off by the staff involved, any staff who
witnessed the incident, and the Principal or Principal’s delegate.
Note: If the Principal applied the restraint, a delegated senior management team member
should sign off the report.
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2.  Physical restraint debriefing form (staff)
•  Within two days of the incident, a debriefing with the staff involved should be held
by the Principal or Principal’s delegate. Another member of staff who was not
involved in the restraint should attend.
•  If a behaviour specialist from the Ministry or RTLB service is supporting the student’s
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team, they should be part of the debriefing process.
Notes: The Principal is responsible for facilitating the debriefing unless they are the person who
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applied the physical restraint. If this is the case, a suitable senior leader in the school should
take this role. If police have been involved they should be invited to the staff debriefing too.
3.  Physical restraint debriefing (parents or caregivers and, if appropriate, the student)
•  The parents or caregivers should be notified and involved in discussion about the
under
incident with the Principal or Principal’s delegate as soon as possible so they can
monitor their child’s physical and emotional wellbeing at home.
•  The parents or caregivers should be given the opportunity to discuss the incident
and invited to become active partners in exploring alternatives to restraint.
Note: The staff member who applied the physical restraint should not be part of this meeting.

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Guidance for New Zealand Schools on Behaviour Management to Minimise Physical Restraint Page | A

1982
Act
Information
Official
the
under
Released

Physical restraint incident report

Report completed by
Date of

Date of

incident
report
Name of student

Date of birth

Gender M ☐F ☐
Ethnicity

1982
Time restraint started

Time restraint ended

Act
Name/s of staff member/s

administering restraint
Trained in safe physical restraint?
Yes □   No □
Other staff /adults who witnessed

Place where restraint occurred
Classroom

Corridor

Information
Assembly hall

Outdoor area

Toilet block

Administration area

Other (identify)

Official

Behaviour directed at
Staff member – name
the
Student – name

Self – describe how

they intended self-
harm
Property – describe

under
potential injury to self
or others

Reason restraint was considered necessary
Imminent danger,

serious risk of injury –
describe
Actual injury –

Released
describe and attach
injury form
Please turn over and complete the reflection section.

Physical Restraint Incident Report
Page | B

Reflection
Events leading to the incident
Describe what was happening before the behaviour started to escalate. What was the student doing?
What do you think might have triggered the behaviour? How were other students reacting to the
student?

1982

Act

Behaviour of the student
What did you notice about the student’s behaviour that alerted you that they were struggling to
cope? Think about the way they looked, for example facial expressions, physical signs, language.

Information

What did you try before the restraint?
Official
Describe the alternative techniques and interventions tried to prevent the emergency, including a
description of the de-escalation strategies you used. What was the response from the student?

the

under
The restraint method used
Describe the nature of the physical restraint. Include the type of hold and number of people required.

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Page | C
Physical Restraint Incident Report

Monitoring
Describe how the student’s physical and emotional distress was monitored while they were restrained.

1982

Act
After the restraint ended
Describe the mood of the student fol owing the restraint. What help and support were they offered?

Information
If there’s a next time
What could be done differently in the future to prevent the need for restraint?

Official

the
How about you?
How are you feeling and what support do you need?

under



Released



Signature of person who applied the restraint  Signatures of any staff witnesses
Physical Restraint Incident Report
Page | D

Debriefing form for staff involved in physical restraint incident

Date of incident

Date of debriefing
Time of debriefing
Names of the people at the debriefing
1982

Act

Findings of debriefing

Information

Next steps/actions

Official

the

under

Principal or Principal’s delegate

signature

Released

Page | E
Physical Restraint Incident Report

Physical restraint debriefing form – parents or caregivers, student

Date of incident

Date of debriefing
Time of debriefing
Names of the people at the debriefing
1982

Act
Findings of debriefing

Parent or caregiver – comments and suggestions

Information

Student – comments and suggestions

Official

Next steps/actions agreed
the

Signatures
under
Principal or Principal’s delegate:

Parents or caregivers:

Student:

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Physical Restraint Incident Report
Page | F

1982
Act
Information
Official
the
under
Released

under the Official Information Act 1982
Released
Physical Restraint Incident Report
Page | F

Document Outline