To add important context behind why these standards are needed:

My child is 11 years old, autistic, under 5ft and 5st. When I arrived at his school, there were multiple police officers holding him on the floor.

At the time, I was not given a clear explanation of what had happened, why restraint was used, or what safeguards were in place. In the weeks that followed, despite multiple phone calls, one verbal complaint, and one written complaint, I was still not informed of key details.

Only weeks later was I told that my child had been handcuffed, and that I would need to submit a Subject Access Request (SAR) to obtain information. That SAR was then rejected because a complaint investigation was ongoing, leaving me without answers.

Despite this, the complaint was attempted to be closed with no issues identified.

This petition is not about blame — it is about the need for clear, consistent national standards on:

• Police restraint involving disabled children
  Safeguarding procedures
  Timely, transparent communication with families
  Thank you again to everyone who has signed, shared, or commented. Your support matters.