Evidence
Research and Impact
Safe Steps is a meaningful, practical framework developed by mental health nurses, refined through co-production, and grounded in real-world application. It equips staff with tools to respond with care, clarity, and consistency – and supports systems-level efforts to improve safety, dignity, and relational practice across mental health services.
As part of a multi-site study, Safe Steps was implemented and evaluated in three acute mental health units, including de-escalation data from over 400 consumers and thousands of clinical episodes. Throughout the 12-month study, nurses used the framework to guide de-escalation. The research focused not only on practice outcomes but also on nurse reflections and real-time data that highlighted patterns in how distress was managed, and how relational approaches supported recovery and safety.
The results from the study confirmed that Safe Steps supports effective de-escalation, promotes more confident practice, and contributes to positive experiences of care for consumers. These outcomes are being further explored through staff feedback and evaluation of lived experience perspectives.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by a Translational Research Grant from the NSW Health Office of Health and Medical Research, NSW Health, Mid North Coast and Western Sydney Local Health Districts, and Southern Cross University, Faculty of Health. (? include logos, which will require approval).
We acknowledge that seclusion and restraint can mimic past experiences of trauma, oppression, discrimination, racism, and loss. For many, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people, people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds, and LGBTIQA+ people, these practices can be deeply distressing and cause psychological, spiritual, physical, and emotional injury and harm.
We sincerely acknowledge the lived and living experiences of mental health conditions and those who support them. We acknowledge these ourneys as unique and we were privileged to learn from these experiences in designing the Safe Steps framework and associated training.