PRIME-CARE TRAININGSpecialist training for care & education
USE OF FORCE WITH CHILDREN · ONE-DAY LAW COURSE
That’s the outcome—not, by itself, the lawful justification.
How confident are you that your staff can make legally defensible decisions about using force?
Built around the PCT Decision Assessment Tool, this one-day course helps staff and managers connect what they see and hear with the risks present, assess whether intervention is justified, and explain the legal basis for their decisions—all with the aim of keeping the child safe from harm.
Delivered face to face for children’s homes and schools in England.
Already have a physical intervention provider? Keep them. Add PCT’s standalone law course.
1 dayFocused learning
Face to faceDiscussion-led training
Your settingRelevant legal framework
Standalone courseBuild on your existing training
A PERSONAL ACCOUNT FROM JOVAN LAZIC
Jovan Lazic
PCT Founder · Specialist trainer in use-of-force law and practice
After studying the law, I now know that many of the restraints I was involved in should not have happened because they could not be legally justified.
At the time, neither I nor the colleagues and managers around me recognised that. We made decisions based on what felt right, without properly understanding what made them legally justified.
That is why I created this course.
I want staff and managers to have the understanding I wish we had then: to question whether force is justified before using it, recognise when it is not, and consider the alternatives.
The purpose is to protect children and help safeguard staff, managers and organisations from the consequences of poorly informed decisions.
BEYOND FAMILIAR PHRASES
Could your team go further and explain the legal basis for using force in those circumstances?
Policy and guidance matter. PCT helps staff connect them with legal reasoning, rather than rely on familiar phrases alone.
Protecting a child is the aim. The explanation also needs to address why this response was justified at the time.
WHY THE DECISION MATTERS
When a poorly informed decision leads to harm, the consequences can extend beyond the incident itself.
Physical injury, pain and emotional distress. Previous trauma may be intensified, trust in adults damaged, and the child’s sense of safety undermined. The effects may continue through their relationships, engagement with education and willingness to seek help.
Injury, distress, guilt and loss of confidence. Staff may face complaints, investigation or disciplinary action, and have to explain why they intervened, what alternatives they considered and what made their response justified.
Responsibility for safeguarding those involved, responding to concerns and examining what went wrong. Decisions about supervision, training and previous warning signs may come under scrutiny, alongside the challenge of supporting the team and preventing further harm.
Complaints, damaged relationships with families and placing authorities, disruption to the service and loss of trust. Investigations may expose weaknesses in training, oversight and practice, with time and resources diverted into addressing the consequences.
THE BASIS OF THE COURSE
Learn to use the tool’s questions to connect observations, risk and legal understanding—before making a decision and when reviewing it afterwards.
Identify what you know from the information available at the time. Distinguish observations from assumptions and examine the risks present, who could be harmed and how immediate the risk is.
Work through the tool’s questions to examine the risk, legal authority, alternatives, necessity and proportionality. Explore imminent risk in emergency situations and recognise when intervention is not justified.
Explore primary and secondary legislation, common law and guidance: their relationship and authority, what statutory means and how duty of care informs decisions. Connect that understanding to your reasoning and review.
PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK
“I’ve been in this industry for 20 years and never been taught this.”
“Why is this not the national standard?”
“This has cleared the grey areas.”
“I feel more confident now I have a better understanding of the law. I know what I can and cannot do, when to do it and when not to.”
RELEVANT TO YOUR SETTING
The course emphasis reflects where your team works.
RESIDENTIAL CARE
For care staff, managers and leaders. Explore the children’s homes framework, the purpose and limits of restraint, and how decisions are recorded and reviewed.
Full children’s homes course detailsEDUCATION
For school staff and leaders. Explore authority to use force, assessment of risk and how legal understanding informs decisions involving pupils.
Full schools course detailsFramework references for England: Children’s homes regulations and guidance · Schools: restrictive interventions guidance
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Yes. This is a standalone law course designed to complement existing physical intervention training, including training from another provider.
No. This day focuses on legal understanding and decision-making. Practical physical intervention skills are covered in a separate course.
Yes. Learners receive a PCT course certificate on successful completion. Attendance and any assessment requirements are set out in your course confirmation.
PCT quotes for your training requirements. Send your approximate staff numbers and setting so the group arrangements and price can be confirmed in your proposal.
The course is delivered face to face. Tell PCT your location and whether you have a proposed venue. Venue suitability and delivery arrangements are agreed as part of the booking.
The focus on informed decisions is shared. The legal framework and course emphasis reflect your setting in England.
START A CONVERSATION
Start with your setting and approximate staff numbers. You can enquire before you have dates or a venue. PCT will discuss the arrangements and prepare a quotation.
Prefer to talk? 0800 776 5850
No payment or booking is made by enquiring.