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.
- Calling for assistance to prevent the situation from getting worse is the right thing to do. It is a good idea to ask a colleague to support the other young people while you support Ryan.
- Your role places you in a position of power. When you shouted at Ryan and left him alone when he was distressed you were abusing this power. Unless you only use the techniques that you have been trained to do, these methods do not work and may only make situations worse. At that time you were not acting in the best interests of Ryan, the other young people in the care setting, or your colleagues.
- 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. You have not done this.
- 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.
- As 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 act 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. 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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