Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Bill: call for views

The Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Bill was introduced on 17 March 2025 by Daniel Johnson MSP. It aims to minimise the use of restraint and seclusion of children and young people in schools.

In our response to the call for views we highlighted that while we are in favour of introducing overarching and comprehensive statutory guidance around restraint and seclusion, this is only 1 issue which is part of a wider system that needs to work cohesively to address all child protection and safeguarding issues.

We believe that the real focus and need is to address coherently and holistically, the child protection and safeguarding landscape to ensure that roles and responsibilities are clear, and that appropriate checks and balances are in place.