Recording, police contact and reducing criminalisation

Incident records should describe what happened, what led to it, what staff tried, any restrictive response used, who was affected and what followed. Incomplete or vague records obscure patterns of harm and make it harder to prevent repeats.

Staff should consider police involvement carefully. Guidance in England and Wales states that children in care should not be criminalised for behaviour that can reasonably be managed through care plans, clear boundaries, repair work and proportionate staff responses.

This does not mean ignoring serious harm or immediate danger. The choice to contact police should be proportionate, defensible, consistent with local protocol and not used to force compliance through fear.

What recording and decision-making should include

• Antecedents: what happened before the incident.
• Child and staff actions: who did what and in what order.
• Injuries and harm: include peers, staff and property.
• Restrictive practice detail: what was used, why and for how long.
• Police rationale: if police are called, the reason should be explicit and defensible.
• Follow-up: debrief, repair, plan change and notifications should all be clear.

Manager focus: police protocols and review

Incident records should make clear why care, not criminalisation, was or was not enough in that moment.