- Pindown
Pindown was a method of
discipline used inchildren's home s inStaffordshire in the 1980s.Pindown was named after the notion that it would "pin down the problem" relating to a particular "difficult" child.
It involved locking children in rooms called "pindown rooms", sometimes for periods of weeks or months.
An inquiry into the practice, "The Pindown Inquiry", held in 1990/1991 and chaired by
Allan Levy QC . It took 75 days of evidence from 153 witnesses, and examined about 150,000 pages of documents including 400 log books of events in children’s homes. A 300 page report was produced after almost a year.The report's findings were that the practice was decisively outside anything that could properly be considered as good childcare practice. In the view of the inquiry it was an unethical, unprofessional and unacceptable practice, and unlawful.
References
* Levy, A. & B. Kahan, (1991) "The Pindown Experience and the Protection of Children: The Report of the Staffordshire Child Care Inquiry" Staffordshire County Council.
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