Latest News

	Covid Restraint Increase in Inpatient Settings “…really, really worrying” 10/09/2020 Professor Chris Hatton has written about Restraints used on people with learning disabilities and autistic people in inpatient units through COVID-19. Find out more>
	Burdett Trust award to fund an evaluation of the Training Standards 20/07/2020 The Restraint Reduction Network has been awarded a grant from the Burdett Trust for Nursing to evaluate the implementation of the new Training Standards.
	Survey shows impact of Covid-19 lockdown on use of restrictive practices
	Survey: Towards Safer Services – Draft National Minimum Standards for Organisational Restraint Reduction Plans 07/05/2020 We have created a survey to find out the extent of the applicability of Towards Safer Services to other sectors in its current form and where adaptions need to be made to support wider use. Read more and take the survey here>
	“Together we can get through this difficult period”- My experience of life in lock-down 29/04/2020 Amy recently moved back into the community after 11 years in inpatient mental health settings. In this blog post she writes about her experience of the Covid-19 lock-down. Read more here>
	“This isn’t the time to give in” – My experience of the COVID-19 lock-down 24/04/2020 Alexis Quinn, author of best-selling book ‘Unbroken’ which details her time spent in various Mental Institutions as an autistic person, writes about her experience of the Covid-19 lock-down and offers some advice. Read more here>
	“I have been conditioned to sit and wait” – my experience of life in lock-down 22/04/2020 John* spent nine years in psychiatric hospitals all around the country. He writes here about his experience of the Covid-19 lock-down . Read more here>
	Team Beth – The Solution to Lock-down Blues 20/04/2020 Jeremy, father to Beth, shares how Beth’s team is supporting her through the lock-down with activities, the right information and the right environment. Read more here>
	Being Human Together: Coping with the Lived Experience of Fear During the Covid-19 Pandemic 16/04/2020 Iris Benson MBE shares how she is coping with the Covid-19 lock-down and shares her lived experience of fear to help others in this time of uncertainty.
	Our comment on the potential impact of Covid-19 19/03/2020 Read the response from the Restraint Reduction Network
	Our membership is changing 16/03/2020 We are evolving the Restraint Reduction Network pledge to reflect the proactive and action-centred approach needed across sectors to see real, tangible change happen.
	Response to Reducing Restrictive Intervention of Children and Young People We give our thoughts on this report, published on 10 February by PABSS and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation
	Positive and Safe Network Events (March 2020) 24 January 2020 Find out about the Network’s upcoming events here.
	Positive and Safe Network Events (December 2019) 30 October 2019 We’ve partnered with the Positive and Safe Network. Find out more about the Network and their upcoming events here.
	Implement the Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards with this new benchmarking tool 16 September 2019 Is your training in line with the new standards? More pointedly how do you find out? In order to make the process of comparing existing provision against the new standard simple, a benchmarking tool has been developed.
	New Guidance published on Reducing Restrictive Interventions for Children 28 June 2019 Yesterday (27/06/19), the Government published the long awaited ‘Reducing the Need for Restraint and Restrictive Intervention’ which covers children and young people with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum conditions and mental health difficulties in health and social care services and special education settings.
	The Restraint Reduction Network Responds to Panorama’s Investigation of Whorlton Hall 23 May 2019 The abuse and “psychological torture” exposed at Whorlton Hall in last night’s Panorama is appalling. It is deeply disturbing that modern society fails to better protect the most fundamental human rights of the most vulnerable people in society. Urgent systems change is needed to prevent this ever happening again. The time for change is now.
	RRN response to CQC thematic review 21 May 2019 This review provides CQC’s interim findings in their review of the use of restrictive interventions in places that provide care for people with mental health problems, a learning disability and/or autism. This report comes out at the same time as the Children’s Commissioner report into vulnerable children with learning disabilities who have been stuck in mental health hospitals for too long in poor conditions.
	Government called to end use of pain compliance techniques and solitary confinement of detained children 29 April 2019 A report produced by the UK Parliament’s Human Rights Committee has concluded that the Government has been in contravention of the Human Rights Act by sanctioning both the use of restraint techniques which induce pain and the solitary confinement of children in detention. The committee has called for an end to such practices.
	Charities call for ban on use of painful restraint techniques on children 04 April 2019 The Restraint Reduction Network does not endorse the use of pain-based techniques in education, health, and social care settings.
	Patient and visitor aggression in healthcare: the nurse managers’ perspective (United Kingdom) 02 April 2019 Patient and visitor aggression (PVA) is of global concern. A survey is being done to gain an overview and compare the current situation in mental health and general hospitals in Canada, the UK and the USA from the nurse manager’s perspective.
	New Training Standards to reduce use of restraint for most vulnerable in society 01 April 2019 New Training Standards have been launched today (1 Apr) by the Restraint Reduction Network to reduce the use of restrictive practices for some of the most vulnerable people in society.
	Response to ‘No Safe Place: Restraint and Seclusion in Scotland’s Schools’ 21 Feb 2019 Kate Sanger, parent and expert by experience, writes her response to the Scottish Children’s Commissioner’s report on restraint and seclusion in Scotland’s schools
	Scottish Children’s commissioner report on restraint and seclusion in schools 13 Dec 2018 Tomorrow, the Scottish Children’s Commissioner is to publish a report on restraint and seclusion in schools. Parent, Founder and CEO of Positive & Active Behaviour Support Scotland, Beth Morrison, writes her response to the report below.
	Bookings are open for new conference 4 Dec 2018 Bookings are now open for this one day conference hosted in partnership with BILD and the Royal College of Psychiatrists on 5 February 2019.
	New conference for 2019 14 Nov 2018 Save the date for a one day conference hosted in partnership with BILD and the Royal College of Psychiatrists on 5 February 2019.
	New Wednesday Webinars 13 Sept 2018 The programme for the new Wednesday Webinars has been announced. Find out more
	RRN Chair Prof Joy Duxbury to give her Professorial Lecture 25th July 2018. Professor Joy Duxbury will be giving her lecture ‘In defence of the indefensible: The use of physical restraint in health and social care settings – The Sequel’ on 11 September.
	32 women died following restraint in the last five years 3rd July 2018. New research from Agenda shows 32 women detained under the Mental Health Act died after being restrained between 2012-2017.
	New guidelines on recording, monitoring and regulation of restrictive interventions 3oth May 2018. New guidelines on the recording, monitoring and regulation of restrictive interventions (RI) have just been published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
	New inquiry launched into restraint and seclusion in Scottish schools 3rd April 2018. The Children and Young People Commissioner for Scotland Bruce Adamson has launched a formal investigation into restraint and seclusion in schools. Campaigner Beth Morrison tells us why this is such an important step.
	Free events to shape the future of the Restraint Reduction Network 26 March 2018. Are you passionate about reducing the use of restrictive practices? Come to one of our free events and help us shape the future of the network.
	Restraint Reduction Network Conference 2018 7 March 2018. Thanks to everyone who came to this year’s conference. It was a great success, find out more about this event.
	Dispatches: Undercover: Inside the Priory 20 February 2018. Channel 4 screened the latest undercover Dispatches programme last night (19 Feb) showing the unacceptable restraint of a patient at a specialist hospital. RRN Chair Professor Joy Duxbury was interviewed as part of the programme.
	BILD urges MPs to back Seni’s Law November 2017. On Friday 3 November MPs will debate on a private members bill, dubbed “Seni’s Law”, to make people who use force in mental health units, including face-down restraint and chemical restraint, more accountable. BILD very much supports MP Steve Reed’s work to introduce the Use of Force (Seni’s Law) Bill. However, there is a strong case for this Bill to have a broader remit to cover the use of force with other vulnerable people, such as those with learning disabilities or autism.
	Addressing mental health within the Criminal Justice System 21 October 2016. NICE are developing new draft guidelines to address mental health within the Criminal Justice System. Read More.
	The Tin Man has a Heart 27 September 2016. In this guest blog, Dr Andrew Hider introduces the key themes of the workshop he’ll be delivering at this year Restraint Reduction Conference. Read More.
	A Compassionate Intervention 27 September 2016. Guest blogger, Jo Varela, discusses the idea of ‘culture change’ as an integral part of reducing restraint in services. Read More.
	The Six Core Strategies: Pitfalls & Pragmatics to Successful Implementation 22 September 2016. Guest blogger, Dr Janice LeBel, gives us a sneak preview of her keynote presentation that will open October’s Restraint Reduction Conference. Read More.
	Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint 14 September 2016. Emma Sunley discusses Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint for young offenders. Read More.
	The Journey to a Restraint-Free Academy 12 September 2016. Maria Taylor, Co-Principal at Wishmore Cross Academy highlights some of the points from her conference keynote speech. Read More.
	REsTRAIN YOURSELF 9 September 2016. As part of our ongoing series of guest blogs, here Paul Greenwood from AQuA introduces some of the key aspects of the REsTRAIN YOURSELF programme. Read More.
	Restraint Reduction 2 September 2016. Guest blogger, Paul Dix from Pivotal Education gives us his perspective on the use of restraint when children and young people are involved and what you might consider to mitigate risk. Read More.
	The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health 3 August 2016. The end of July saw the publication of NHS England’s new report ‘Implementing the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health’. Read More.
	Restraint of children in custody 5 July 2016. The report found that “children held in custody in England and Wales are twice as likely to have force used against them by staff than they were five years ago”. Read More.
	MP Norman Lamb to Present at the 2016 Conference 7 June 2016. We’re delighted to announce that Norman Lamb, MP for North Norfolk and Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health, will be delivering a keynote speech at the Restraint Reduction: Examining What Works conference taking place on the 6 and 7 October. Read More.
	Mental Health Practice Award Winners 16 May 2016. Restraint Reduction Network members, Black Country Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust recently walked away with the coveted RCNi 2016 Mental Health Practice Award. Read More.
	Investigating Deaths in Mental Health Units and NHS Trusts 4 May 2016. Panorama aired a programme in early April highlighting the lack of consistency surrounding the recording of deaths that occur in mental health units. Read More.
	Taking ‘Control’ out of ‘Control and Restraint’ 28 April 2016. Restraint Reduction Network Chair and leading mental health expert, Professor Joy Duxbury explains why the language we use to describe restrictive interventions must change. Read More.
	Preventing Deaths in Detention 22 April 2016. The publication in March of the Equality and Human Rights Commission report on deaths in detention raised some serious issues, highlighting that hundreds of individuals are dying while in detention across the UK. Read More.
	Time for Change: The Challenges Ahead 16 March 2016. The recent publication of Sir Stephen Bubb’s follow-up report, Time for Change: The Challenges Ahead, on the developments made since Winterbourne View makes for interesting reading. Read More.
	Sector round-up: Increasing investment and ongoing challenges 3 March 2016. February was a busy month for the mental health sector with a number of Government announcements that will have long-term impact. Read More.
	Using manual restraint to deliver clinical care: A professional dilemma 14 January 2016. CPI Senior Vice President and member of the Restraint Reduction Network Steering Group, Chris Stirling, examines some of the issues involved in delivering essential treatment in acute medical settings. Read More.
	Prevention is better than cure 6 November 2015. Lynne Phair, Independent Consultant Nurse and Expert Witness, previews her keynote presentation from the forthcoming Restraint Reduction Conference, which is based on her book: Adult Safeguarding: A care leader’s guide. Read More.
	Developing and implementing a restraint reduction plan 3 November 2015. Stephen Davison, Restrictive Intervention Lead at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust, previews his workshop sharing the experiences and cultural and organisational changes made within a Trust that had previously been reported as a high user of restraint. Read More.
	Ensuring harmony not harm 30 October 2015. Steven Garvey, Patient Handling Trainer at Worcester NHS Trust discusses the key points from his workshop at the forthcoming November Restraint Reduction Conference, exploring measures employed to reduce the use of restraint in the Trust. Read More.
	Practice leadership and reducing restrictive practices 26 October 2015. Roy Deveau, Honorary Research Associate at the Tizard Centre, University of Kent, is delivering a workshop at the November Restraint Reduction Conference examining the implementation of Department of Health policy, looking at frontline-practice leadership. Read More.
	Restrictive practice in older adult care 19 October 2015. James Ridley is Senior Lecturer (Learning Disabilities Nursing) at Edge Hill University. His workshop at the Restraint Reduction conference is centred on the future of restrictive practices for people with learning disabilities and dementia. Read More.
	Developing a tool for violence risk assessment 13 October 2015. Roger Almvik, Research Director at St Olav’s University and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology discusses the Brøset Violence Checklist as an effective means of assessing the risk of violence. Read More.
	Restraint: A tool of humanising care? 5 October 2015. Fintan Sheerin, Lecturer in Intellectual Disability Nursing at Trinity College, Dublin, introduces the main themes of his keynote examining the day-to-day human rights of people with disabilities and those who display challenging behaviours. Read More.
	Thinking, learning and understanding 28 September 2015. Bec’s Gratton and Sue Hatton from Embrace examine the process of embedding a Positive Behaviour Support approach and framework in their service. Read More.
	Keynote Preview: Six Core Strategies 21 September 2015. With a focus on the Six Core Strategies, Keynote Speaker at this year’s Restraint Reduction Conference, Kevin Ann Huckshorn, talks about how evidence-based practice can prevent conflict and violence in in-patient and residential settings. Read More.
	How well do we support unpaid carers with the challenges they face? 16 September 2015. CPI Senior Vice President and member of the Restraint Reduction Network Steering Group explores the issues facing unpaid carers. Read More.
	The Use of Floor Restraint 17 August 2015. CPI Executive Director and member of the Restraint Reduction Network Steering Group examines the ongoing debate surrounding the use of floor restraint. Read More.
	Fascinating Range of Workshops lined up for November 3 August 2015. This year’s conference has a fascinating range of workshops featuring professionals from a broad variety of sectors and backgounds. Read More.
	BBC Social Affairs Correspondent to Present at the Restraint Reduction Conference 20 July 2015. Alison Holt, Social Affairs Correspondent at the BBC, will Chair the 2015 Restraint Reduction Conference. Read More.
	Best Practice and Reducing the Need for Restraint 6 July 2015. In response to the recent publication of the NICE Guidelines, CPI’s Executive Director, Chris Stirling, looks at the impact this has on training. Read More.
	Six reasons to attend the 2015 Restraint Reduction Conference 22 June 2015. From networking opportunities to real-life examples of best practice, we look at the compelling reasons why you should be attending in November. Read More.