Education Minister Paul Givan has today initiated a public consultation regarding draft guidance on the use of restrictive interventions within educational settings across Northern Ireland.

The proposed framework is designed to minimise the frequency of such interventions, including restraint and seclusion, ensuring they are employed only as a last resort.

The draft guidance emphasises that any use of these measures must be lawful, proportionate, and trauma-informed, with a primary focus on the specific needs of the child. It also sets out more rigorous requirements for the recording and reporting of serious incidents—including every instance of seclusion—to improve governance and oversight within schools.

The Minister highlighted that the new directions are intended to be practical for school environments without detracting from the supportive methods currently used to help pupils engage with their learning. Paul Givan said: "This is a sensitive and complex issue, and one where people hold strong and differing views. The draft guidance provides clear, strengthened direction on when and how restrictive interventions may be used, with the overarching aim of reducing and minimising their use to protect and safeguard our most vulnerable learners. The guidance has been designed to be deliverable in our schools and does not undermine the positive, supportive approaches that help children access learning every day. It also introduces clearer requirements for recording and reporting serious incidents, including all uses of seclusion, to strengthen oversight and governance across educational settings."

The Minister continued: "This consultation is an important step in ensuring that children and young people are properly safeguarded and that educational settings have clear, consistent and rights-based guidance to support them. I encourage everyone with an interest in children's education and wellbeing to respond. Your feedback will play a crucial role in ensuring the final guidance is robust, practical and reflective of the needs and rights of learners."

The consultation closes on 4 June 2026. Consultation documentation, including the draft 'Restrictive Interventions: Guidance for educational settings', is available on the Department's website – www.education-ni.gov.uk/consultations/restrictive-interventions-guidance-educational-settings, where details of online public consultation events will also be published in due course.