Preventing Restraint and Seclusion

OMH strives to ensure that every New Yorker we serve experiences hope and recovery. We recognize the use of Restraint and Seclusion is counterproductive to this outcome.

Our goal is to prevent, reduce, and end the use of this intervention.

NASMHPD’S SIX CORE STRATEGIES

OMH embraces NASMHPD’s The Six Core Strategies to Reduce the Use of Seclusion and Restraint:

1. Leadership Towards Organizational Change - emphasizing that efforts to create a violence free environment are most successful when facility executives provide guidance, direction, participation and ongoing review of the project, beginning with assuring that the facility’s mission, philosophy of care and guiding values are congruent with this initiative.
2. Using Data to Inform Practice - monitoring performance and sharing data.
3. Workforce Development - reshaping hiring, training and job performance practices to promote trauma informed, recovery-oriented, non-coercive care.
4. Use of Seclusion/Restraint Reduction Tools - including trauma assessment, primary prevention and de-escalation strategies, and calming environments. Includes the use of:
5. Consumer Roles in Inpatient Settings - providing full and formal inclusion of consumers and family members in a variety of decision-making roles in the organization.
6. Debriefing Strategies - analyzing restraint/seclusion events to mitigate further trauma and to gain knowledge that informs policy, procedures and practices.

You can read a fuller summary in NASMHPD’s Consolidated Six Core Strategies Document

Fundamental to implementing the Six Core Strategies is development of a comprehensive facility action plan. The action plan guides the provider in implementing its various components.

• Sample Facility Action Plan

RESOURCES:

• Creating Violence-Free Mental Health Settings: Changing our Cultures of Care
• Checklist for Assessing Your Organization’s Readiness
• The New York State Office of Mental Health Positive Alternatives to Restraint and Seclusion (PARS) Project
• NASMHPD's Position Statement on Seclusion and Restraint
• The Economic Cost of Using Restraint and the Value Added by Restraint Reduction or Elimination

Comments or questions about the information on this page can be directed to the Division of Quality Management