In Western society, policy and legislation seeks to minimize restrictive interventions, including physical restraint; yet research suggests the use of such practices continues to raise concerns. Whilst international agreement has sought to define physical restraint, diversity in the way in which countries use restraint remains disparate. Research to date has reported on statistics regarding restraint, how and why it is used, and staff and service user perspectives about its use. However, there is limited evidence directly exploring the physical and psychological harm restraint may cause to people being cared for within mental health inpatient settings. This study reports on an integrative review of the literature exploring available evidence regarding the physical and psychological impact of restraint. The review included both experimental and nonexperimental research papers, using Cooper's (1998) five-stage approach to synthesize the findings. Eight themes emerged: Trauma/retraumatization; Distress; Fear; Feeling ignored; Control; Power; Calm; and Dehumanizing conditions. In conclusion, whilst further research is required regarding the physical and psychological implications of physical restraint in mental health settings, mental health nurses are in a prime position to use their skills and knowledge to address the issues identified to eradicate the use of restraint and better meet the needs of those experiencing mental illness.

Safeguarding, balancing the concept of risk with the need for public protection and its implication for the lives of individuals, is an important facet of contemporary mental health care. Integral to safeguarding is the protection of human rights; the right to live free from torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, and having the right to liberty, security, respect and privacy. Professionals are required to recognise all of these rights when delivering care to vulnerable people. In the United Kingdom (UK) there has been growing public concern regarding abusive practices in institutions, with a number of unacceptable methods of restraint being identified as a feature of care, particularly in mental health care. In keeping with the service user movement, and following a review of the literature, this paper discusses the evidence regarding restraint from the perspectives of service users and professionals within mental health services and considers the implications for future practice and research. In reviewing the literature findings revealed restraint can be a form of abuse, it's inappropriate use often being a consequence of fear, neglect and lack of using de-escalation techniques.Using restraint in this way can have negative implications for the well-being of service users and mental health professionals alike.

Background: Safeguarding referrals into the multi-agency safeguarding hubs (MASH) for overweight or clinically obese children are increasing, in line with national and global statistics. Childhood obesity reduces physical and mental health, social and education outcomes, and quality of life, all of which can last into adulthood. Aims: To explore if childhood obesity is a societal safeguarding concern. Method: A systematic literature search, using the following keywords: obese* child* safeguard*, child protection, BMI, adolescen* and youth. was employed using electronic databases. Findings: Substantial numbers of children are not meeting recommendations on daily physical activity, compounded by increased screen time. Current family therapies and lack of collaboration between services are not able to address childhood obesity. Conclusions: Childhood obesity is a societal multi-factorial safeguarding issue, requiring a holistic, collaborative approach. This could include bespoke collaborative interventions to increase self-determination in families throughout lifespan and protection of open and green spaces in education settings, for example.