“Safety Pods are a more effective and safe way to support young people in crisis. The techniques employed to support a young person into a pod means that there are opportunities for the young person to maintain dignity and autonomy by giving them the option to NOT be held. The implications for this is that relationships with staff are maintained, the possible affects of trauma are reduced and the opportunity to build on self-regulation skills increases and thus reducing the need to employ restrictive interventions to maintain the safety of the young person or others. However, should a restrictive intervention be necessary the design of the pod and the techniques to maintain safety mean that the young person is supported in a safe, comfortable and dignified manner.”

We had a young man who would show warning signs of becoming dysregulated for a short period of time and would not want to engage in any strategies to reduce his emotional dysregulation, no environmental adjustments such as reducing the stimulus in the room, giving space or reducing demands were successful. The function of the behaviour was to avoid the demand. He would then suddenly launch himself from his desk punching and kicking out at staff. He was incredibly quick and could cause significant injury to staff if restrictive interventions were not employed. Due to his hypermobility, size and strength a seated hold on a sofa was extremely difficult and posed injury risks for all involved including the young man, unfortunately the safest option was to employ a supine hold.

We saw the Safety Pod at a Maybo conference and bought one for this young man. I’m unable to easily get the data for this young man but we were using restrictive interventions at least 3-4 times a week before we acquired the safety pod. Over a period of approximately two months that number reduced dramatically and restrictive interventions were rarely required. The primary reason for this is that by having the opportunity to use the wrap reverse disengage technique before using a restrictive hold in the safety pod, the young man learned that he would not be held if he stayed in the safety pod until he was safe, and as a consequence was then able to take himself to the Safety Pod to self-regulate. Gradually, over time, the young man began to engage more in sessions, engage in other activities and build relationships with his peers so his quality of life improved.

Having the Safety Pod available as just a piece of furniture for young people to sit in and chill meant that it was just a piece of furniture that could be used proactively to support emotional dysregulation. Staff felt more confident supporting the young people that posed a significant physical challenge to safety as it is a hugely effective tool when crisis is presented. With the increase in confidence we also see a reduction in the use of physical skills and a more effective use of proactive and secondary interventions.

Young people have effective functional relationships with staff which impacts on self-esteem and confidence leading to increased engagement in activities, improved relationships with peers and an overall improved quality of life. The introduction of Safety Pods has helped shift the culture by providing additional options to just restricting liberty/movement.