This reality must be acknowledged. And it must change.

CALM was established to reduce distress and prevent harm. We welcome the report’s urgent call for action and its clarity in outlining the need for a trauma-informed, rights-based, and accountable approach across all education settings in Scotland.

As an organisation working across education, social care, and health, we recognise our role as a partner in driving the kind of systemic change this report demands. We are committed to continuous learning, and we bring our values, experience, and energy to this shared mission.

Shared Foundations

We strongly align with the report’s core principles:

• Restraint must only ever be used as a last resort, never as a default response to distress or difference.
• Behaviour is communication, especially when children may not communicate through words.
• Seclusion can be harmful, re-traumatising, and a violation of rights.
• Training should be grounded in empathy, understanding, and accountability, not control.
• Staff deserve high-quality, values-led training that equips them to support children safely, ethically, and compassionately.

What CALM Is Doing

We are building on our foundations to deepen our impact and ensure our work continues to reflect the highest standards. This includes:

Restraint Reduction

CALM’s tiered, preventative approach centres early intervention, relationship-building, and co-regulation. We are strengthening our evidence base to further demonstrate the long-term impact of our model on reducing restraint and seclusion.

Alignment with RRN Standards

We support the call for all training to align with the Restraint Reduction Network (RRN) Training Standards. We remain in close dialogue with RRN to ensure that our training not only meets but continue to exceed these benchmarks. We welcome the development of a dedicated framework for schools and believe it will strengthen national consistency and quality.

Focus on Early Years and Non-Verbal Communication

We are actively developing specialised training and resources tailored for early years practitioners. We recognise that early years settings present unique and formative opportunities to nurture relationships, reduce distress, and embed regulation-supportive practice from the outset. Our work in this space centres the importance of sensory regulation, non-verbal communication, and neurodivergent ways of being; not as peripheral considerations, but as core components of understanding, connection, and high-quality early years practice.

Embedding Lived Experience and Co-Production

We are expanding our work alongside disabled people, families, carers, and neurodivergent professionals. Co-production enriches the integrity, authenticity, and relevance of our training, and we are committed to doing more of it.

Transparency and Impact

Since our inception, CALM has stood for transparency: As our founder David Leadbetter said “You cannot hope to change what you are not prepared to reveal.” This principle remains at the heart of our rights-based, trauma-informed approach. We continue to strengthen our internal systems to monitor impact and support organisational culture change. Our emphasis on recording, audit, and review reflects our belief that meaningful change must be measurable and visible.

Our Commitment Going Forward

This report is a moment for reflection, but more importantly, for shared resolve. CALM is committed to:

• Advocating for mandatory, rights-based training for all education staff.
• Ensuring our training is explicitly trauma-informed, neuro-affirming, and grounded in children’s rights.
• Challenging language and practices that confuse care with control or minimise harm through sanitised language.
• Listening actively to lived experience and moving forward with humility and purpose.
• Working in solidarity, with families, educators, campaigners, and organisations, to help shape a Scotland where every child is safe, seen, and supported.