Residential In-Patient Treatment: A Case Study

Impact Restraints have on Children in Residential In-Patient Treatment

1. Introduction

There have been many concerns regarding the use of physical restraint among children in residential and psychiatric in-patient treatment facilities. Many have debated the use of physical restraints among children as being dangerous, causing trauma or re-traumatizing a child, unethical, and taking away the legal rights of children. They have argued that the potential dangers within the practice of restraints raise questions on how beneficial the approach is (Saurander et al., 2002, p.161). Others have argued that physical restraints have a therapeutic benefit for children when being used appropriately. They have said that the use
The practice of restraints used among the child population violates the “legal rights” a child has over their own self-determination. This argument is strong because, restraints take away a child’s right to at times act as a child their own age would. To disregard a child’s legal rights worries the child’s legal guardian. An issue with this is that, when a child is placed in residential or psychiatric in-patient treatment facilities, parents must give the organization permission to do what the professionals feel fit to do to help the clinical needs of their child. Therefore, this concern is one that raises further discussion on what needs to be done during the admission process to educate the child’s legal guardian on what could or could not happen during the child’s treatment
Many argue that the use of restraints have a negative impact on children including psychological effects and physical harm (Singh et al., 1999, p.244). The use of restraints on children with histories of physical, sexual and emotional trauma are at a higher risk for these negative consequences (LeBel et al., 2004, p.38). Children are admitted to these programs to receive therapeutic treatment because of the behaviors they exhibit in the community due to previous trauma “the failure to recognize childhood trauma and abuse produces iatrogenic effects” (LeBel et al., 2004, p.38). For children with previous history of trauma, these programs are meant to be a place of healing, a place of serenity. With the use of restraints on these children, it can turn their place of serenity and healing into a place that represents new trauma, therefore continuing to affect their mental health and wellbeing (LeBel et al., 2004, p.38). In order to help a child, the programs should be looking at each child as an individual in order to avoid causing further trauma or re-traumatizing the child placed in their