Well done, you made the correct decision.
Here are some points that you need to consider. You should have included all of these in your reflective activity.
- Reflecting on your training and speaking calmly to Ryan is the right thing to do. This should help to de-escalate the situation.
- When you shouted at Ryan earlier this was aggressive, not assertive. Your role places you in a position of power. By shouting at a young person you are abusing this power. Shouting does not work and only makes situations worse.
- You need to learn and follow your organisation’s policies and procedures on dealing with situations like this. These are designed to keep you and other people safe at work.
- It is your role to intervene in an appropriate and timely manner to support a young person to end an instance of unwanted behaviour, maintaining their dignity and rights while you do this. While you acted at the right time, you were not maintaining Ryan’s dignity or rights when you shouted at him.
- Any intervention should be consistent with behaviour support plans, agreed ways of working and legal and work setting requirements. You should work in a person-centred/child-centred way. This involves knowing and respecting each young person as an individual. You need to learn more about these ways of working.
- You could benefit from applying theories underpinning the understanding of child development and factors that affect it. Ask your employer about training opportunities.
- By reflecting on your training you have realised that since this incident happened on Ryan’s return from his parents it could indicate something at home has upset him. When Ryan’s behaviour first became a concern, it was an opportunity to use active listening and to show him that you want to understand him. It was important to do this quickly before his behaviour escalated.
- You are now doing the right thing but you need to think about whether your actions demonstrate or promote positive behaviour. It is essential to show young people, their families and your colleagues you are trustworthy and reliable. Shouting and allowing the situation to escalate might cause the people you work with to doubt your trustworthiness and reliability.
When Ryan first displayed behaviour that could be harmful, the right thing to do would have been to calmly ask him to go somewhere quiet to discuss what had upset him, making sure you had a safe route of escape if required. Find out why this was the right thing to do here.
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