'Don't take it home with you' : Views of secure care staff on debrief after restraint

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Jackson, Abbi (2025) 'Don't take it home with you' : Views of secure care staff on debrief after restraint. Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care, 24 (2). pp. 5-27. ISSN 1478-1840

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Abstract

There is a dearth of research into debrief after restraint in secure and residential childcare. This research sought the views of care workers on debrief practice across three secure centres in Scotland, using a mixed methods qualitative approach. It was found that the definition of debrief varied across participating centres. Overall, staff highly valued managers checking their wellbeing after a restraint. Other themes were discussion around antecedents, what went well, decision making, care planning and what can be learned from the incident. Focus groups considered who instigates debrief, when it happens, and who leads it. Ultimately it was found that debrief discussion after a restraint sits in a framework of discussions rather than a stand-alone conversation. Furthermore, it was concluded that debrief is not the sole corelate to restraint reduction. This is also influenced by the young person’s needs, relationships, risk assessment and care planning, quality of supervision, and not least, leadership and culture. There are implications for workforce psychological safety. Restraint reduction work is incomplete without listening to workers’ voices. Application of theory is proposed to support workers’ understanding, and a reflective tool drawn together for workers and managers to adapt and use in debrief after a restraint.

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