National Minimum Standards for Children's Homes

1.	Planning for care
2.	Quality of care
3.	Complaints and protection
4.	Care and control
5.	The home itself
6.	Staff and visitors
7.	Secure children's homes

4. Care and control.

Managing children's behaviour. Children need to behave in an acceptable way. Staff should respond by praising good behaviour. If they feel a child's behaviour is not acceptable they can take action to discipline the child, with actions that have been approved and are know to the child.

Staff cannot:

• Use any form of physical punishment
• Punish a child by making them eat or deprive them of food or drink
• Stop contact with family & friends unless by order of a court
• Prevent access to a telephone helpline
• Make them wear clothing that makes them stand out
• Stop them from having medical treatment
• Stop them from sleeping
• Fine them, except for payment for damage etc
• Do any intimate physical examination
• Withhold any equipment them might need
• Punish a group for the actions of one child or
• Have one child discipline another

Any sanction or restraint should not be excessive or unreasonable. A record must be kept of all sanctions and restraints. Children should be able to see the records made about their restraint and have their comments recorded.