Wellbeing

Work Related Violence & Psychosocial Safety

We have engaged Resolution Education to provide Protective Intervention Training (PIT) to the Leadership Team who will provide a full day training to all staff on the Curriculum Day in Term 3. 

Protective intervention training helps school staff to prevent, de-escalate and manage challenging student behaviours while keeping themselves, students and others safe. 

In the interim staff are encouraged to completed the LearnED Modules (De-escalation and BASIS). A transcript of these modules has been developed alongside PIT Guidance below.

LearnED Modules

• De-escalation
• Behaviour Assessment and Support in Schools (BASIS) Training

Restraint and Seclusion Policy

The Restraint and Seclusion policy outlines the circumstances where physical restraint and seclusion are permitted in Victorian government schools.

Physical restraint and seclusion are only permitted in exceptional circumstances where it is necessary to protect the physical safety of a student or another person.

The policy outlines reporting and notification requirements and the responsibilities of school and corporate staff in relation to incidents of physical restraint and seclusion.

School staff must never use physical restraint and seclusion as behaviour management techniques, for convenience, as retaliation, or to discipline or punish a student.

Physical restraint must never be used where it has the effect of:

• covering a student’s mouth or nose, or in any way interferes with breathing
• taking a student to the ground into the prone or supine position
• putting stress on a student’s joints
• applying pressure to the neck, back, chest or joints
• deliberately applying pain to gain compliance
• intentionally causing a student to fall
• having a person sitting, lying, or kneeling on a student.

The following behaviours are prohibited:

• headlocks, choke holds, basket holds, bear hugs, therapeutic holding or wrestling holds (including full or half nelsons)
• using a hog-tied position
• straddling any part of a student's body
• dragging a student along the ground.

Physical restraint and seclusion must never be included in a student plan including behaviour support and student safety plans. Designated seclusion rooms and areas that are primarily used for the purpose of seclusion are prohibited. Preventing a student from leaving an area normally used by students with a locking mechanism is prohibited.

Doors and door handles installed in such a manner as to prevent a student from leaving the room unassisted are prohibited. Physical restraint is not permitted to be used to vaccinate a student.

The Department has recently updated the Restraint and Seclusion policy to:

• Fact sheet: Staff intervention in physical altercations between students
• list supervised situations that do not meet the definition of seclusion
• include additional information about new professional development to help school staff learn more about the policy
• provide guidance to help schools and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) practitioners to work together. For example, it is the responsibility of a school principal to determine whether a NDIS behaviour support practitioner can attend a school site and whether student information can be provided to them.

Please familiarise yourself with the updated policy and your school’s responsibilities.

To view our Jackson School Policy Advisory Library with child safe standards policy and guidelines, please visit: https://newsletters.naavi.com/i/pNpVrpM or visit our website.

• Child Safety & Wellbeing Policy
• Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations Policy and Procedures
• Code of Conduct
• Risk Register