About the Project
Introduction
Holding Differently, Containing Distress is a collaborative project working with the residential child care sector to understand how physical restraint is used, and to learn from practice where restraint has been reduced or avoided.
This site shares updates, resources, and project information for people who work in residential child care, interested professionals, and care-experienced people with an interest in restraint reduction in Scotland.
What we are doing
There are two main phases:
- Listening and understanding: an online survey to understand the current picture of physical restraint in Scotland.
- Learning from practice: working with a small number of care providers to explore what helps when restraint is avoided.
- We will publish interim findings in plain language alongside reports.
- We will share resources that teams can use in practice and reflective learning.
- We will keep the content updated as the project progresses.
Project timeline
The project began in December 2025 and is due to finish in May 2028. The Timeline page provides a clear view of key stages and milestones.
Stay informed
If you would like to receive general project updates, you can sign up for updates. You can also visit the What’s new? page to see recent announcements.