Physical restraint should be limited to holding the child as gently as possible to accomplish the restraint and should be the minimum amount of time necessary to control the situation and be age-appropriate; reevaluation and change of strategy should be used every few minutes. Physical restraint will not utilize ties, blankets, straps, car seats, or heavy weights (such as adult body sitting on child); abusive words shall not be used. Only a staff person trained in a department approved restraint model should restrain a child. If all strategies described in (Behavior Guidance WAC) are followed and a child continues to behave in an unsafe manner, staff need to physically remove the child from the situation to a less stimulating environment. Physical removal of a child is defined according the development of the child: If the child is able to walk, staff should hold the child’s hand and walk him or her away from the situation. If the child is not ambulatory, staff should pick the child up and remove him or her to a quiet place where the child cannot hurt themselves or others. Staff must remain calm and use a calm voice when directing the child. Staff should request or agree to step out of the situation if they sense a loss of their own and concern for the child. If physical restraint is used, the early learning services provider must within twenty-four hours: Report the use of physical restraint to the child's parent or guardian and the department as required under WAC ; Assess any incident of physical restraint to determine if the decision to use physical restraint and its application were appropriate; and Document the incident in the child's file, including the date, time, staff involved, duration and what happened before, during and after the child was restrained. The early learning services provider must develop a safety plan with input from the child’s primary care or mental health provider, early learning services provider and parents/guardians and licensor, in order to address underlying issues and reduce the need for physical restraint. Justification: The alignment recommendation was to use the language from CFOCB with the reasoning of: A child could be harmed if not restrained properly. This condenses to one WAC rather than several and adds input in a safety plan from parents/guardians and primary care or mental health provider as well as adding language about DEL approved restraint models among other additions. Therefore, staff who are doing the restraining must be trained. A clear behavioral care plan
Physical restraint should be limited to holding the child as gently as possible to accomplish the restraint and should be the minimum amount of time necessary to control the situation and be age-appropriate; reevaluation and change of strategy should be used every few minutes. Physical restraint will not utilize ties, blankets, straps, car seats, or heavy weights (such as adult body sitting on child); abusive words shall not be used. Only a staff person trained in a department approved restraint model should restrain a child. If all strategies described in (Behavior Guidance WAC) are followed and a child continues to behave in an unsafe manner, staff need to physically remove the child from the situation to a less stimulating environment. Physical removal of a child is defined according the development of the child: If the child is able to walk, staff should hold the child’s hand and walk him or her away from the situation. If the child is not ambulatory, staff should pick the child up and remove him or her to a quiet place where the child cannot hurt themselves or others. Staff must remain calm and use a calm voice when directing the child. Staff should request or agree to step out of the situation if they sense a loss of their own and concern for the child. If physical restraint is used, the early learning services provider must within twenty-four hours: Report the use of physical restraint to the child's parent or guardian and the department as required under WAC ; Assess any incident of physical restraint to determine if the decision to use physical restraint and its application were appropriate; and Document the incident in the child's file, including the date, time, staff involved, duration and what happened before, during and after the child was restrained. The early learning services provider must develop a safety plan with input from the child’s primary care or mental health provider, early learning services provider and parents/guardians and licensor, in order to address underlying issues and reduce the need for physical restraint. Justification: The alignment recommendation was to use the language from CFOCB with the reasoning of: A child could be harmed if not restrained properly. This condenses to one WAC rather than several and adds input in a safety plan from parents/guardians and primary care or mental health provider as well as adding language about DEL approved restraint models among other additions. Therefore, staff who are doing the restraining must be trained. A clear behavioral care plan
Interaction-and-Curriculum-Restraint.docx