Vision statement five: Scotland must strive to become a nation that does not restrain its children.
Experience
What children and young people say
This section presents the evidence through an experience lens, focusing on what restraint has felt like for care experienced children and young people in the evidence reviewed since 2020 when the Independent Care Review concluded and the promise was made. Click on the take me to navigation pane and jump to different sections here, including sources
The evidence reviewed was clear that restraint damages relationships and trust between children, young people and adults: there were reports of feeling upset, disempowered and unheard. The impact of restraint and seclusion on children and young people, and the longer-term impact it can have was also shared. Trauma-informed approaches, built on communication and understanding, offer a more supportive, person-centred approach to de-escalating situations and fostering environments where young people are heard and safe. Developing these approaches and an underpinning culture that values experiences contribute to environments where restraint does not occur.
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- I feel listened to.
- I feel like my feelings are understood.
- I get the help I need to stay calm, when I want it.
- It feels like adults care about me.
- I feel like the adults know me and what sets me off.
- I feel like the adults are talking to me calmly.
Children and young people felt more cared for and settled when adults prioritised understanding and empathy. Being heard and having their feelings understood and validated were important when experiencing big emotions and stress. Dedicated time and effort to do this created a sense of safety and trust, fostering belief that adults genuinely care and are attentive to needs. Calm and respectful communication became a bridge, strengthening relationships and promoting a more harmonious environment where physical restraint did not occur.
- I get different messages about what's okay and what's not.
- Hugs don’t feel loving, they feel like a restraint.
- I feel like the adults don't understand my experience.
- It feels like the adults have different understandings of what restraint is.
- It feels like the rules are always changing.
- I feel like trust is broken.
- I feel uneasy and embarrassed.
- It feels like the adults don't understand me.
- Things they are doing that are supposed to calm me down actually make me more angry
- I feel like the atmosphere in the house is bad.
- I feel powerless.
Children and young people said that before restraint occurred, they often felt unheard, misunderstood and overwhelmed. Breaks in trust, escalating emotions and a lack of understanding from adults contributed to situations where everyone felt less able to cope. These feelings were made worse by restraint, and shattered their senses of safety, leaving them feeling exposed and misunderstood. Children and young people also said that when trust had been eroded, efforts to engage them afterwards could create distance, and the intended calming effect was often replaced by anger and a sense of unease, making everyone feel distressed. This experience amplified feelings of powerlessness, reinforcing belief that their voices and needs are not being heard; and they are being treated yet again differently than their peers.
- I feel like I can't trust the adults around me.
- It feels like the adults are using their power against me.
- I get reminded of bad experiences.
- I feel like I can't communicate what I need.
- It feels like the adults don't care about my feelings.
- I feel like I am not being listened to.
The lack of clarity over definitions across environments, meant children and young people experienced misunderstandings and unmet communication needs. This could quickly lead to distress, especially for young people who could not easily explain what they need or how they feel. When adults misread their behaviour, or did not recognise the signs of rising overwhelm, situations could escalate and lead to the use of restraint or seclusion. Without trust and clear communication, the school environment became a source of anxiety and distress at times. The needs of children and young people with disabilities also was highlighted: issues of being misunderstood by adults were described in more acute terms and navigating the challenges of school life even harder.
- I feel like the adults are helping me calm down in a way that works for me.
- It feels like the adults are giving me space.
- Adults give me time to talk about what happened.
- I feel like the adults are explaining why they did what they did.
- It feels like we're learning from what happened, so it doesn’t happen again
- I feel like adults are finding a way to move forward.
Support was felt when adults stayed steady, helped young people calm down in the ways that suited them, and created reflective space to understand what led to the escalation. This focus on rebuilding safety and trust helped repair the rupture caused by the incident. Exploring together what happened, and hearing why decisions were made, means any use of restraint became a point of learning rather than blame, fostering repair and sense of trust. This approach created a path forward, built on mutual respect and a genuine desire to prevent future incidents.
What this tells Scotland
This section draws together what the evidence reviewed shows about how experiences of relationships between brothers and sisters are felt by care experienced children and young people, and how these experiences shape identity, belonging, emotional wellbeing and stability. It is intended to be informative, helping to show why these experiences matter and why they should inform what happens next. The focus is on naming impact and consequence as described in the evidence, drawing attention to patterns that remain unresolved and where continued attention is needed.
The lack of clarity and consistency in definition of restraint across the settings that children and young people are in continues to have a negative impact on them. Children and young people indicated that the uncertainty from different interpretations, lead to ambiguity, create anxiety and increase their sense of vulnerability. This led to an undermining of trust.
Children and young people said that before restraint occurred, they were often unheard, misunderstood and overwhelmed. Escalating emotions coupled with a lack of understanding from adults and their need for control contributed to situations where everyone felt less able to cope. These feelings were made worse by restraint, and shattered their senses of safety, leaving them feeling exposed and misunderstood.
The materials described how restraint can damage trust with children and young people. When trust is lost, attempts to calm the situation afterwards are less effective, often resulting in ongoing unease and distress for everyone involved. This experience amplified feelings of powerlessness, reinforcing belief that their voices and needs are not being heard; and they are being treated yet again differently than their peers.
Distress, when it is not easy to explain how you feel or what you need with adults misreading this or not recognising the signs of rising overwhelm, means that situations can escalate and lead to restraint.
More trust is needed for clear communication to avoid environments becoming sources of anxiety and distress.
Children and young people with disabilities described in more acute terms being misunderstood by adults and finding it hard to navigate the challenges of life.
Adults staying steady, listening to understand, focused on creating calm in the ways that suit children and young people, making time for reflection to learn all help building safety, trust and boundaries. And helped repair any rupture if there had been a restraint. Working together on what happened, hearing why decisions were made, as a point of learning rather than blame helped move forward, built on mutual respect and a genuine desire to prevent future incidents.
Children feel more cared for and settled when adults prioritise understanding and empathy. Being heard and having their feelings understood and validated were important when experiencing big emotions and stress. Dedicated time and effort to do this creates sense of safety and trust, fostering belief that adults genuinely care and are attentive to needs. Calm and respectful communication became a bridge, strengthening relationships and promoting a more harmonious environment where physical restraint did not occur.
Sources Referenced
The purpose of the below citations and summaries is to ensure that sources used are clear and accessible. Web links to the sources are provided, where possible.
Document summaries are provided for any document where analysis produced more than ten ‘coded segments’. ‘Coded segments’ refer to portions of a document that analysts identified and labelled as relevant to the key themes for each Vision Statement.
All documents that have informed the development of the Vision Statement, even if they had fewer than 10 coded segments, are cited in the ‘Additional Sources’ box below.
This report, published by Aberlour Childcare Trust and Kibble in March 2023, evaluates their Rethinking Restraint pilot project. The pilot aimed to reduce and, ultimately, end the use of physical restraint in residential care for children in Scotland, in line with the Scottish Government’s commitment to become a nation that does not restrain its children. The evaluation sought to understand the pilot’s impact, assess the effectiveness of the “Design School” process in fostering culture change and inform a model for wider implementation.
The pilot involved four organisations—Glasgow City Council, City of Edinburgh Council, North Lanarkshire Council, and St Philip’s School—and used a mixed-method approach, including document reviews, interviews with staff and young people, focus groups, and surveys. Findings show a significant reduction in restraint incidents, driven by trauma-informed and reflective practices. Young people expressed strong negative views of restraint, describing it as a breakdown in communication and trust, and called for trauma-informed responses that prioritise empathy, choice, and acknowledgement of feelings. While some initially saw restraint as a last resort, deeper discussions revealed a desire for its complete abolition.
Aberlour and Kibble had already reduced restraint in their own services before the pilot, through staff training, changes to reporting, and a focus on relationships. The pilot reinforced these efforts, though some staff voiced concerns about eliminating restraint entirely, citing safety in extreme situations.
Social Value Lab. Helping to Keep the promise That Scotland Must Strive to Become a Nation That Does Not Restrain Its Children: Evaluation of The promise – Rethinking Restraint Pilot – Report for Aberlour Childcare Trust and Kibble. Aberlour; Kibble, 2023. https://web-backend.aberlour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Promise-Report-Final-V3.pdf.
This report on the Reflection and Action Learning Forum (RALF) was written by Laura Steckley from the University of Strathclyde, and Sarah Deeley and Gemma Watson from CELCIS. It was created to share the work of the RALF project, which aimed to help residential childcare workers and services become better at reflecting on their work. The project was funded by The promise Partnership, a Scottish Government grant supporting improvements in care for children.
The RALF project, which ran for 24 months from spring 2023, focused on developing reflective work cultures and individual reflective skills, especially concerning physical restraint. The report details how RALF sessions, which combine action learning with deep reflection, help participants think, feel, do, and be more effectively. It highlights positive impacts such as increased self-awareness, confidence, and empathy, and a shift from problem-solving to asking useful questions.
While individual impacts were widely reported, service-level changes were less frequent, often due to challenges like time constraints and staff availability. However, some services saw benefits in areas like post-incident debriefing and care planning. The report stresses that RALF works best when there is strong organisational support, protected time, and clear communication about its importance. It concludes that RALF is making a significant difference in residential childcare practice, particularly in reducing physical restraint, but continued investment is crucial for its future.
Steckley, Laura, Sarah Deeley, and Gemma Watson. The Reflection and Action Learning Forum (RALF). CELCIS, 2025. https://www.celcis.org/knowledge-bank/spotlight/Scottish-Physical-Restraint-Action-Group/reflection-action-learning-forum.
This pilot report, "An Appreciative Inquiry into Holding in Residential Child Care," aims to understand how to reduce or stop physical restraint in residential childcare in Scotland, especially by looking at what works well. This study was prompted by concerns about physical restraint and a national call to reduce it, as highlighted by the Independent Care Review in 2020.
The researchers used an "Appreciative Inquiry" approach, which focuses on strengths and positive experiences rather than problems. They spoke to care workers, care experienced adults, and family members from two residential childcare services in Scotland. The main findings showed that good relationships are key to reducing the need for physical restraint. This includes care workers being understanding and empathetic, communicating carefully, and building trust with young people.
The study also found that relationships between adults involved in a child's care, such as other staff and family members, are important for supporting staff confidence and innovative practices. While physical restraint can sometimes be necessary, the report highlights that different people have different ideas about what "restraint" means. The authors suggest that understanding these different meanings and focusing on strong, caring relationships are crucial for improving practices and reducing physical restraint in residential childcare.
Steckley, Laura, Lee Hollins, Sarah Deeley, and Michael Bettencourt. An Appreciative Inquiry into Holding in Residential Child Care: Pilot Report. Scottish Physical Restraint Action Group (SPRAG), 2023. https://www.celcis.org/news/news-pages/new-pilot-report-holding-residential-child-care.
Who Cares? Scotland—a national independent membership organisation for care experienced people, dedicated to supporting, empowering and amplifying the voices of Scotland’s care community—provided targeted analysis of their existing evidence for The Promise Story of Progress, sharing material that mapped to the relevant vision statements and contributed insight into how their internal data, participation activity, and qualitative evidence could inform the experiential strand of the Promise Story of Progress.
Their reports reflected advocacy work carried out between 1st January 2020 and 30th June 2025, during which time Who Cares? Scotland advocacy workers supported around 4,800 individuals. Although the report findings do not represent the experience of every care experienced individual in Scotland, they highlight issues that need continued attention as Scotland works to understand what is changing and what still needs to be addressed.
An anonymised and abridged collation of these reports is available at: Who Cares? Scotland. The Promise Story of Progress: Vision Statement advocacy reports by Who Cares? Scotland (abridged). The Promise Scotland, 2025. https://www.plan2430.scot/media/r0jiy2pl/2025-12-17-the-promise-story-of-progress-vision-statement-advocacy-reports-by-who-cares-scotland_abridged.pdf
Engagement with Care Experienced Young People: Results and Recommendations to Inform Police Scotland’s 2024-27 Corporate Parenting Plan. Scottish Youth Parliament, 2024. https://syp.org.uk/project/engagement-with-care experienced-young-people/.
Secure Care Pathway Review. Care Inspectorate, 2023. https://www.careinspectorate.com/images/documents/7293/Secure%20care%20pathway%20review%202023.pdf.
Social Value Lab. Helping to Keep the promise That Scotland Must Strive to Become a Nation That Does Not Restrain Its Children: Evaluation of The promise – Rethinking Restraint Pilot – Report for Aberlour Childcare Trust and Kibble. Aberlour; Kibble, 2023. https://web-backend.aberlour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Promise-Report-Final-V3.pdf.
Steckley, Laura, Lee Hollins, Sarah Deeley, and Michael Bettencourt. An Appreciative Inquiry into Holding in Residential Child Care: Pilot Report. Scottish Physical Restraint Action Group (SPRAG), 2023. https://www.celcis.org/news/news-pages/new-pilot-report-holding-residential-child-care.
Steckley, Laura, Sarah Deeley, and Gemma Watson. The Reflection and Action Learning Forum (RALF). CELCIS, 2025. https://www.celcis.org/knowledge-bank/spotlight/Scottish-Physical-Restraint-Action-Group/reflection-action-learning-forum.