Scotland advances Calum"s Law for child restraint in schools

The Scottish Parliament is set to take significant steps towards establishing a law that governs the restraint and seclusion of children in schools. This initiative, driven by Labour MSP Daniel Johnson, is inspired by the experiences of Calum Morrison, who faced physical restraint at a special educational needs school at the age of 11. The proposed legislation aims to ensure that such measures are only employed as a last resort, particularly when there is an immediate risk of harm, and emphasizes the need for appropriate training for educators in de-escalation techniques. Beth Morrison, Calum's mother, has been a vocal advocate for reform, highlighting the distressing accounts from families who have reported physical and emotional harm to their children due to improper restraint practices. In the previous school year alone, 208 families reached out, revealing that a significant portion of affected children were very young, with some as young as five years old. This alarming trend underscores the urgent need for change in how schools handle challenging behaviors. The proposed law seeks to uphold the human rights of all children, ensuring that incidents of restraint are documented and that staff receive the necessary support and training. Johnson noted the frustration among parents, teachers, and pupils regarding the current practices, which often fail to address the underlying needs of children, particularly those with special educational needs. If the bill receives the required support from MSPs, it will move to the committee stage in Holyrood. However, government ministers have expressed skepticism about the necessity of legally enforceable guidelines, indicating a potential hurdle in the legislative process.