Reflection and Action Learning Forum
The Reflective and Action Learning Forum (RALF) was a project funded by The Promise Partnership aimed at developing reflective work cultures and individual workers’ reflective capacity within residential child care. RALF is a model, co-produced by the Scottish Physical Restraint Action Group (SPRAG), for supporting in depth development of reflection. The aim of RALF was to provide a practical and evidence-based approach that supported members of the residential child care workforce to develop the necessary habits and skills associated with genuinely reflective practice, even when some behaviour exhibited by children, young people or colleagues can feel challenging.
Hosted and facilitated by CELCIS and the University of Strathclyde, an oversight group of SPRAG members collaboratively supported this project between 2023-2025.
Learn more about RALF
Explaining the RALF process
This video explains the process of RALF, how it was monitored and how participants could benefit from the process.
Watch the videoHear from RALF participants
This animation reflects the collective views of participants of the Reflection and Action Learning Forum.
Watch the videoAn introduction to RALF
In this video, members of the forum speak about early impact, what was rewarding and any challenges they faced supporting the roll out of RALF.
Watch the videoThe Reflection and Action Learning Forum model
The RALF model was co-designed with SPRAG members as part of the group’s overarching commitment to help bring about a change in culture with regards to restraint and restrictive practice across residential child care and the wider care sector.
The aim of RALF was to provide a practical and evidence-based approach that supported members of the residential child care workforce to develop the necessary habits and skills associated with genuinely reflective practice, even when some behaviour exhibited by children or young people can feel challenging.
The RALF forum offered:
- Structured, facilitated spaces that used reflective processes to challenge and creatively expand members’ perspectives and problem-solving capabilities
- The opportunity and ability to develop new ways of thinking around responses to children and young people's distress and the efforts to reduce or eliminate the use of physical restraint
- Training and support to become facilitators to provide Reflection and Action Learning Forums within cross-organisational groups of staff working in Residential Child Care across Scotland.
- The opportunity for facilitators to become members of a facilitator community of practice with focused sessions attended by experts in action learning and reflection, as well as one-to-one relational conversations with skilled members of an oversight group.
- The ability to influence the RALF model and levels of impact through ongoing data capture and analysis
What is the challenge RALF was responding to?
In listening to children and young people, they consistently tell us that they want to be loved, supported, and feel that those adults who care for them are always there for them.
The impact of restraint is significant on everyone involved and can be really damaging to the relationship between a child and the adult and could contribute to or re-trigger past trauma. In the busy and sometimes unpredictable environment of residential child care, spaces and structures for staff reflection can get easily side-lined by other demands and there can be no regular safe opportunities to reflect, learn and build solutions and alternatives to restraint.
A workforce supported through reflective practice, can respond, react, and build more supportive, loving relationships with the children and young people in their care.
What difference did RALF make?
By working through the process of reflective and active learning, leaders and managers created organisational cultures that supported reflective practice and individuals and teams to have an increased capacity for reflection. This allowed them to remain in and improve relationships with the children and young people in their care and respond helpfully when children and young people are in distress. This resulted in a workforce which felt increasingly valued, motivated, and confident in their ability to provide loving relationships, and ultimately the safe and effective reduction of restraint across Scotland.
Sustaining RALF long term
SPRAG plans to develop guidance, tools and resources based on the learning from RALF, with the learning and behaviours embedded within member’s own settings. This has the ability to facilitate transformational change across residential child care, and across social care.
Final research on RALF
This research report highlights the process of rolling RALF out across Scotland and highlights the key learning and impacts of the project.
How do I join?
The Scottish Physical Restraint Action Group meets online or in person 6-weekly with the option for members to become involved in additional sub-group activities as they arise.
If you are interested in finding out more about SPRAG and how you might become involved, please get in touch with a member of our team at celcis@strath.ac.uk putting 'Scottish Physical Restraint Action Group' in the subject line.