The Positive Relationships Standard
Regulation 11
This chapter gives guidance on responding to challenging and violent behaviour.
This chapter should be read in conjunction with Use of Restraint and Physical Interventions Procedure and The Offending and Anti-Social Behaviour – guidance on when to involve the Police Procedure.
See also: Incidents Guidance.
1. | Introduction | |
2. | Referral and Admission | |
2.1 | Risk Assessments | |
3. | Reporting and Recording | |
4. | Follow up After an Incident | |
5. | Level of Risk | |
6. | Actions for Staff following a Violent Incident |
Children who have suffered abuse and neglect may display difficult, risk taking or challenging behaviours, including violence and / or aggression. A child’s challenging behaviour should never be viewed in isolation but rather seen in the context of their experiences to date.
Children who have a history of challenging behaviour, including violence or aggression, should be placed in homes which are able promote and support positive behaviour and help them deal with their aggression and violence. The placing authority must ensure that the home has strategies to deal with challenging behaviour, and that staff are trained in encouraging positive behaviour through de-escalation of conflicts and confrontations. Staff should attend regular mandatory training such as Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI). Along with any other training session offered in relation to a child’s behaviour. Attendance of training should be kept current and updated when necessary.
Staff working with children who display challenging, aggressive and violent behaviour should be trained in promoting positive behaviour and offered on-going support to manage their own feelings and responses.
All coaches have been trained within Dialectical Behaviour Therapy which is the approach we implement when dealing with challenging and violent behaviours, specifically coaching young people through their moment of crisis and supporting them to regulate their behaviour and responses.
Before a child is admitted to the home, the placing authority will provide information on the following as part of the placement planning process:
Staff in the home should also ascertain the following:
The Registered Children’s Homes Manager should:
The Registered Children’s Homes Manager and the staff within the home should agree the behaviours which will be taken to constitute violence or aggression for reporting purposes.
Reports on aggressive and violent behaviour should provide the following information:
Staff and managers should consider the following before reporting an act of aggression or violence:
The Registered Children’s Homes Manager and staff should explore all of the above and look for any triggers before they label a child as aggressive or violent.
Accurate records are important as they allow evaluation to take place and help identify any patterns in behaviour. This critical assessment of a situation will ensure that future reports of behaviours, which can 'label' a child aggressive or violent will be based on factual and evaluative reporting.Whenever an act of violence or aggression has occurred the Registered Children’s Homes Manager should ensure that both staff and child concerned, are allowed to discuss the incident and its impact on themselves and others in the group.
Managers should:
The Registered Children’s Homes Manager must ensure that procedures are in place for responding to incidents and that they match the level of risk.
Workers who are exposed to the risk of violence and aggression need training on the procedures to follow in the event of an incident. It is important that they are aware of the criteria for initiating procedures and are free to do so when they feel under threat.
If the level of risk is such that the continuing placement of the child is threatened, or may be at risk of coming to an end, the Registered Children's Homes Manager must draw this to the attention of the child’s social worker and Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), who may decide to convene a Looked After Review.A decision should be made between the staff member, the Registered Children’s Homes Manager and young person about whether to report matters to the Police, see Offending and Anti-Social Behaviour – guidance on when to involve the Police Procedure.