Our overall belief is that of a hands off model of teaching, including many de-escalation techniques used to keep students in a calm state of mind. However, we also believe in helping all students, some of whom may come to our school with aggressive behaviors. While there is an imbalance that may come from these two ideas, there are times when it is most safe for students and staff for a child to be put in a hold, but in a trauma informed, non-threatening way. This is the first hands-on program we’ve used at Growing Together. We were drawn to Safety Care because of the extensive amount of training that is provided on ways to minimize the need for hands-on contact with a child and the trauma-informed methodologies were embedded in the training. Every day we implement the foundations of ABA and preventative strategies of Safety Care and we are proud of how little we implement the hands-on portion. Every Safety Care trained staff member goes through a 16 hour training program, including having to demonstrate all holds and other appropriate options available. GTBC has a Safety Care crisis team at each campus, made up of supervisors and lead therapists who always support any student in crisis.

Most students do not require hands on supports. The Executive Director and Clinical Director assess safety needs regularly, and if a student presents with a need for hands on care, parents are contacted. They are provided written behavior plans to review before their student is put in a Safety Care hold, and holds are demonstrated on or for the parent.