When is physical  restraint justified in a school?

When is physical  restraint justified in a school?

The recent court case concerning the use of restraint in a Northern Territory school reminded me of the need for criteria to determine the justification for a restraint.. The use of physical restraint in schools exposes both staff and students to significant risk. For...
Let’s stop blaming schools for ‘soft suspensions’!

Let’s stop blaming schools for ‘soft suspensions’!

A recent Sunday Age article argues that ‘soft suspensions’ contributes  to youth crime or at least inhibiting rehabilitation of young offenders.  In this post I want to look at the reasons for soft suspensions are occurring and what we can do to reduce...
Can you fake empathy?

Can you fake empathy?

I was recently conducting a trauma informed training program for teaching staff at a Special Assistance School. Clearly empathy is a key skill when working with traumatised young people. A participant asked: ‘can you fake empathy?’ What a great question! Like any a...