New EYFS - Physical Intervention

**sarak31** · 09-08-2012, 04:14 PM

Hi all.

Have been re-reading the new EYFS and getting my head around any changes I need to make. I wondered what everyone thought of the Managing Behaviour section (section 3.51). It says:
"Providers, including childminders, must keep a record of any occasion where physical intervention is used, and parents and/or carers must be informed on the same day, or as soon as reasonably practicable."

The definition they give of physical intervention is:
"where practitioners use reasonable force to prevent children from injuring themselves or others or damaging property."

I work with mainly pre-schools and babies. The question I am asking myself is how far does this go? For example, a toddler about to fall and I catch him, a 3 year old about to run towards the road and I grab his hand, a 2 year old about to hit another child with a toy, a child having a tantrum. In all these cases I will physically intervene. Pretty much I think I do it without thinking about all the time to ensure my children are safe, don't fall and behave appropriately. It's part of caring for pre school age children I think and ensuring they are safe.

Do you think we now have to write down all these things every day?

What does everyone think?

**funemnx** · 09-08-2012, 05:27 PM

I haven't notice this one so far, I'm like you, physically intervening all over the place lol!

Seriously though, maybe it means when a child is having a violent tantrum and we have to hold them firmly to stop them running out the door or throwing things around the room?

Do we need to put this in the policy?

**moggy** · 09-08-2012, 06:12 PM

My first thoughts would be to use the daily diary if it was a minor incident ('had to grab hold of x today as he tried to run into the road on xx road at xx time') and if it was a more major case ('had to restrain x during a tantrum, held him tightly to prevent injury to self/others for x mins, date/time') in incident book (I use NCMA accident/incident book). I should think we should apply common sense as with accident book- I do not write down ever tiny scratch or slight bruised knee but anything more than that I would write down... but no idea if that is the 'right' approach?!

**rickysmiths** · 09-08-2012, 06:41 PM

I think they may mean what one friend of mine had to do with a lo who used to have the most awful screaming tantrums. The only thing she could do to stop the child hurting herself and other children was to sit on the floor and physically restrain the child on her knee until she calmed down. This was done with the full knowledge of the parents, but now perhaps it would need to be recorded as an incident each time and the parents sign this form?

**sarah707** · 09-08-2012, 08:35 PM

As it is linked with behaviour management and the fact that we cannot hit / smack etc children I feel it's to do with being accountable for our actions.

We grab a child to stop them falling over and the child goes home and says 'xx grabbed my arm today and hurt me'...

We stop a child from running into the road by catching their hood and the child says 'xx tried to choke me today'...

We hold a child during a tantrum and the child makes up a little story about how we were nasty to them.

If we have it written up for parents to sign they will already know the circumstances and we have been totally transparent about how we have treated the child.

This can then be linked to our behaviour management policy / procedures and PSED - self control, behaviour etc. If we see the need for regular restraining for a particular child we can address it with parents.

Hth

**stardust** · 09-08-2012, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by sarak31

Hi all.

Have been re-reading the new EYFS and getting my head around any changes I need to make. I wondered what everyone thought of the Managing Behaviour section (section 3.51). It says:
"Providers, including childminders, must keep a record of any occasion where physical intervention is used, and parents and/or carers must be informed on the same day, or as soon as reasonably practicable."

The definition they give of physical intervention is:
"where practitioners use reasonable force to prevent children from injuring themselves or others or damaging property."

I work with mainly pre-schools and babies. The question I am asking myself is how far does this go? For example, a toddler about to fall and I catch him, a 3 year old about to run towards the road and I grab his hand, a 2 year old about to hit another child with a toy, a child having a tantrum. In all these cases I will physically intervene. Pretty much I think I do it without thinking about all the time to ensure my children are safe, don't fall and behave appropriately. It's part of caring for pre school age children I think and ensuring they are safe.

Do you think we now have to write down all these things every day?

What does everyone think?

High lighted the ones I'd document simply because the amount of force is higher.
If it is just a touch like taking a toy I wouldn't but if I had to prize fingers apart, grip, grab the child then yes.
If the child ran towards the road, I would grab whatever I could, hand, coat, hood ect same with a child falling as I would again grab what I could, back of t-shirt, leg, wrist ect.
I would do the same as I do now explain to mum/Dad/whoever the situation, what happened and how I physically intervened.

For example my cousin was 5 i think and ran into the road, i had Ryan (only a few months old in my arms) i grabbed him by the back of his t-shirt.
I left a red mark but I stopped him getting run over, which I would say is reasonable intervention.

I think if i though there was any possibility a mark may appear or the child would comment in some way I would document it, but I don't know any parent who would prefer a trip to hospital/burry their child to an accident form.

**Kiddleywinks** · 10-08-2012, 07:38 AM

With things like this I tend to err on the side of caution

I'd have any 'out of the ordinary contact' noted somewhere but try and use my common sense like with accidents:
Sometimes it's a mention in a diary (been a clumsy clot today and tripped x, x & x - if there's been no contact with anything other than me already holding hand when tripping) other times it requires an accident form

It may feel excessive, but I'd rather protect myself from any possible comeback now, or in the future, with the apparent culture we have these days

**sarak31** · 11-08-2012, 06:51 PM

Thanks everyone. I also use the incident book at the mo so will just continue as am - still a bit worried about what exactly they will be looking for on this.

Although just been catching up on the deregulation news on here as have been away and am feeling a bit like I don't know why I am worried as it doesn't look like ofsted will be bothered with anything I do soon! What madness there is going on at the moment!

**sarah707** · 11-08-2012, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by sarak31

Although just been catching up on the deregulation news on here as have been away and am feeling a bit like I don't know why I am worried as it doesn't look like ofsted will be bothered with anything I do soon! What madness there is going on at the moment!

Change is likely to be coming - but it will take a long time before it happens.

People high up in govt are saying we will still use the EYFS whatever changes.

Hth

onceinabluemoon · 12-08-2012, 05:23 AM

Originally Posted by sarah707

Change is likely to be coming - but it will take a long time before it happens.

People high up in govt are saying we will still use the EYFS whatever changes.

Hth

You've got to love this, we wont be regulated but still have to use the eyes... who's gonna know if we don't if we're not regulated?

**rickysmiths** · 12-08-2012, 05:56 AM

Originally Posted by onceinabluemoon

You've got to love this, we wont be regulated but still have to use the eyes... who's gonna know if we don't if we're not regulated?

Our 'Satisfactory' Nursery Agency who is raking off 20% of our gross income or course

**jadavi** · 12-08-2012, 07:25 AM

Is that the change you're referring to Sarah, and do you think it'll happen?

**sarah707** · 12-08-2012, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by jadavi

Is that the change you're referring to Sarah, and do you think it'll happen?

A July 2012 letter from Gove to Wilshaw says that recent revisions to the EYFS and other changes to early years policy are QUOTE 'the first phase of deregulation for the early years sector'.

I have written about it in a document for UKCMA - http://www.*************/ - 'deregulation - the latest information'.

So something is clearly happening - we don't know what yet or how much it will affect us. The letter seems to suggest all the early years sector will be involved.

I strongly advise everyone to complete the recent 'call for evidence' and make their views known.

Hth