Ethical dilemmas in social work practice with disabled people: the use of physical restraint

This article discusses the use of restraint with disabled adults and children and uses a case study of one particular child to explore issues related to the use of restraint, including the consent of the person subjected to restraint, their human rights, and the balancing of these rights with the need to reduce the risk of harm. The case study involves a young woman who requested to be restrained in a particular way and the challenges this posed to the staff caring for her. The article concludes that in many complex situations there is no clearly right approach to take, and each situation involving restraint must be considered on an individual case-by-case basis.