Safeguarding disabled children guidance
Issues
- a disabled child's dependency on parents and carers for practical assistance in daily living, including intimate personal care, increases their risk of exposure to abusive behaviour
- carers are relied upon (whether family or paid carers) as a source of information about disabled children and to interpret and explain behaviour or symptoms
- presence of a disability can add strain to a parent-child relationship as some parents may struggle to accept their child's diagnoses. This could lead to delayed access to emotional support (Source: RNIB - What do we know about the impact of sight loss on relationships? 2024)
- professional staff can potentially feel out of their depth in terms of knowledge of a disabled child's impairment, where the familiar developmental milestones may not apply
- lack of understanding and training about safeguarding disabled children can result in professionals not recognising the signs of abuse or neglect. This is all the more worrying given that research indicates that the identification of the abuse of disabled children is most likely to come from observations of physical signs, behaviour or mood changes
- disabled children should not be left in situations where there is a high level of neglect or other forms of abuse, because a professional feels the parent, carer or service is 'doing their best'
- worries about carers of disabled children will be shared with carers in the same way as carers of non-disabled children
- where there are communication impairments or learning difficulties, particular attention should be paid to the communications needs of the child to ascertain the child's perception of events and his or her wishes and feelings
- limited personal safety programmes and personal, social and sex education for disabled young people results in them being less aware about abusive behaviour and less able to communicate about abuse. (Source: The Children's Society: 2009)
- children's social care and the Police should be aware of non- verbal communication systems and should contact suitable interpreters and facilitators
- agencies must not make assumptions about the inability of a disabled child to give credible evidence, or to withstand the rigours of the Court process
- as more short break services are commissioned it is essential that sufficient staff are trained to ensure they are competent to deliver safe care in areas such as ventilation and tube feeding. (Source: The Children's Society: 2009 )
- children and young people with vision impairment are more likely than children without vision impairment to live in families that experience social and economic disadvantage. Over 50% have at least one other SEND. (RNIB)
- each child should be assessed carefully and supported where relevant to participate in the criminal justice system when this is in their interests as set out in Achieving Best Evidence in Criminal Proceedings: Guidance on Vulnerable and Intimidated Witnesses (Home Office 2011) which includes comprehensive guidance on planning and conducting interviews with children and a specific section about interviewing disabled children
- participation in all forms of meetings such as Child Protection Conferences and Core Groups must be encouraged and facilitated. The use of specialist advocates should be considered