Developing a Holding Environment in Residential Child Care and Education : A Knowledge Transfer Project between the University of Strathclyde and Seamab to Reduce the Use of Physical Restraint

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Remy, Cecile and Steckley, Laura and Webster, Elaine (2026) Developing a Holding Environment in Residential Child Care and Education : A Knowledge Transfer Project between the University of Strathclyde and Seamab to Reduce the Use of Physical Restraint. University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. (https://doi.org/10.17868/strath.00097010)

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Abstract

This report discusses a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project between the University of Strathclyde and Seamab, a residential child care and education service in Scotland. Using a human rights perspective and key theoretical frameworks of therapeutic containment and holding environments, the aim of the project was to develop a holding environment at Seamab that would render the use of physical restraint less or even unnecessary. It took a co-productive approach to build on existing good practice and expertise while integrating new ways of thinking and practicing. The work coalesced around four areas of practice that embedded the knowledge transfer: 1) Establishing and developing reflective fora; 2) Establishing a crisis response approach for teams of workers when supporting a child going through a prolonged period of crisis – ‘The Team Around the Team’; 3) Developing reparative work, i.e., a model of restorative practice used after physical restraint occurred, and ways of repairing ruptures to relationships between adults; and 4) Radically changing the focus and activity of the pre-existing Reducing Incidents Committee and identifying this group’s pivotal role in furthering the implementation of children’s rights. Evaluation data collected as part of the KTP project indicated increased consistency around reflective conversations with adults and with children after occurrences of physical restraint; increased perceptions of available resources and support that made the work more manageable when it became difficult; and changes to how workers actively considered children’s human rights. Qualitative data reflected increased psychological safety and reflectiveness in Seamab’s culture - key components of a holding environment. A majority of children who responded to the child survey indicated being happy or very happy with the support they received in sorting out conflicts (related to reparative work). None expressed dissatisfaction. Other impacts included an over 50% reduction in the number of physical restraints in the second year of the project as compared with the first, with fewer physical restraints in the final quarter than the same six-month period for each of the previous four years; a 6% reduction in staff turnover (as compared with the same period the previous two years) during the project’s final 8 months; and an over 50% reduction in staff injuries during incidents with children during the second half of the project.

ORCID iDs

Remy, Cecile ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5512-5674, Steckley, Laura ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6021-2302 and Webster, Elaine ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1705-207X;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)