Restraints and the use of force In 2019, Safe Tactical Approach and Response (STAR) replaced the Managing Actual and Potential Aggression (MAPA) approach in all Oranga Tamariki Youth Justice facilities. All staff now receive STAR training, which includes de-escalation techniques and physical holds, though the vast majority of the two-day programme focuses on physical holds and controls, and only one hour is dedicated to verbal de-escalation. The Children’s Commissioner’s OPCAT inspection reports indicate that physical restraints are now used less often, and that staff felt confident using STAR techniques. It was not possible to speak to children and young people for this review. However, the Children’s Commissioner’s excellent 2019 insights report, ‘A Hard Place to Be Happy: voices of children and young people in care and protection residences’8 provides children and young people’s views and experiences of restraint: “Children and young people told us being restrained is hard, and sometimes people are injured. We heard about carpet burns, sprained wrists and bruises. We also heard it can be frightening to see other people being restrained. Children and young people told us that, when staff are doing restraints, sometimes things go wrong and injuries can happen. One young person told us they were happy staff aren’t allowed to take people to the ground anymore and that there are new restraint techniques. Others said staff still need more training around restraints. “I hate restraints … they hurt me … like, they grab the back of my shirt and ergghh! … They hold me, and it hurts when they squeeze too hard.“ (Mäori girl) “I don’t like restraints ‘cause some people do it hard. And, like, they don’t mean to, but when [staff member] did my restraint, he left a huge bruise on my arm … He was swearing at me and he told me I couldn’t talk.” (Mäori young woman) According to data provided to this review by Oranga Tamariki, in the six months to December 2019, there were 366 use of force incidents in its Youth Justice facilities, and 184 incidents in its Care and Protection residences. Oranga Tamariki were unable to provide this review with further information, including ethnicity and age of the children and young people against whom force was used, as these were not recorded. 8 Office of the Children’s Commissioner (2019) ‘A Hard Place to Be Happy: voices of children and young people in care and protection residences’ (https://www.occ.org.nz/assets/Uploads/HardPlaceToBeHappy-FINAL.pdf) 35