'Caring C' hold in primary school

[Ontheperiphery79]

Sorry this is not really an AIBU, but posting here for traffic.

During a SEN meeting last week, the SENCo mentioned a 'Caring C' technique with my 5.5 year old DD (who has SEN).

Didn't question it at the time, as I was scribbling notes.

Google searched it, which came back with different interpretations/explanations, but the search came back with a lot of physical restraint/intervention responses.

Can anyone here tell me what they understand it to be and, if it has been used with their child, in what instance and what looked like in actuality, please?

I have emailed the school and asked for clarification (last Tueaday), but they have not responded.

If they use Team Teach as an intervention then it is the adults hand in a C shape - and should be used to guide a child away from an area or into a safe place. It is the lowest level of ‘physical intervention’ and really is a very gentle guide, slightly more than an adult putting their hands on a child’s shoulder to move a child

I used to work as a TA in a SEN school and I was Team Teach trained - we would often use the caring C approach. I definitely wouldn’t consider it as a restraint, it is literally just an adult shaping their hands in a C shape and placing them by the child’s elbows to guide them in a different direction (obviously only used as a last resort when a child is not responding to verbal instructions or gestural prompts). As a parent imo it’s definitely not something to worry about as it’s really just a gentle guidance.

I've also been trained in this technique. It's very gentle but firm. It's just using your hand in a c shape on their elbows to guide them away from the situation.

It's probably what you would instinctively do if they were maybe causing a danger to themselves or perhaps gawping at a child in a distressing situation.

I would ask other questions though. What's the next stage up, is it used by the school etc. Are all staff trained in conflict diffusion and team teach etc

Agreed with other posters it is a team teach technique and gentle guidance rather than an intervention.

You might find the school behaviour management policy is something like "staff may use Caring-C hands to guide children away from dangerous situations but not more restrictive holds"? As others have said, it's about getting a child away from causing themselves or others harm, rather than "restraint" as you may picture it.

PPs are right, but not completely IMO. Caring Cs are just a way of holding safely, any degree of holding, however temporarily, is a physical intervention and is a restraint.

While it's usually used to just guide and steer, it's also used to restrict movement, again restraint. While it is both philosophically positive, and a more physically safe method, it's wrong to separate it from physical restraint and intervention completly.

I think it would be useful to find out exactly how and why they are being used - there should be written guidance that staff are following, and individualised for each child they are using them with

Thank you for all your replies.

I couldn't find anything on the school's website, so then turned to Google, then to MN.

I do feel somewhat reassured, so thank you.

I do need the school to give an indication, if possible, as to what behaviours have led to it being used; I don't think at all that my child is being manhandled, but because there has been an escalation in some of her behavioural responses when she is dysregulated and/or in fight/flight mode - she has transitioned from Reception to Year 1, I just want to keep track of things for her EHC Needs Assessment application.

They absolutely should be keeping a record - possibly an ABC record, which should note the antecedent/what’s happened before, the behaviour that’s occurring and the consequence of the behaviour - what the possible outcome of the behaviour was (not if a consequence/punishment has been put in place) They should also be noting what’s worked well/what hasn’t and how they will address this. It should all feed into the EHCP annual review.