Safeguarding Disabled Children

Yasmin Kovic

&

David Miller

Safeguarding Disabled Children

Disabled children 3.4 times more likely to

be abused

• 3.8 neglect

• 3.8 physical abuse

• 3.1 sexual abuse

• 3.9 emotional abuse

Sullivan and Knutson (2000)

Safeguarding Disabled Children• 45.8% of deaf girls and 42.4% deaf boys

exposed to unwanted sexual experiences

• Involved physical contact more than twice as often for girls and three times boys compared to hearing children

• 49% didn’t tell. 11% were not believed Kvam (2004)

Safeguarding Disabled Children

‘The available UK evidence…..suggests that

disabled children are at increased risk of abuse

and that the presence of multiple disabilities

appears to increase the risk of both abuse and

neglect’

Working Together to Safeguard Children:

HM Government (2006)

Safeguarding Disabled Children

‘Disabled children are more likely to experience

abuse than non-disabled children. Children

living away from home are particularly

vulnerable’

National Service Framework for Children,

Young People and Maternity Services:

Dept of Health (2004)

Safeguarding Disabled Children

Disabled children living away from home are

extremely vulnerable to abuse of all kinds,

including peer abuse, and high priority needs to

be given to protecting them

People like us: The report of the review of the

safeguards for children living away from home:

Utting, W (1997)

Safeguarding Disabled Children

Disabled children remain vulnerable,

particularly in health settings … when

children in hospital for 3 months and in

residential schools with 52 week provision

Progress on safeguards for children living

away from home: Stuart and Baines (2004)

Safeguarding Disabled Children‘Insufficient priority is given to the safeguardingneeds of some groups of children, includingchildren with disabilities’

Safeguarding children: The second joint ChiefInspectors’ Report on Arrangements toSafeguard Children: CSCI, Ofsted, HMJCA,HMiP, HMIC, HM Inspectorate of Prisons,Healthcare Commission, HMcpsi (2005)

Disabled children at risk

‘Disabled children are often in the poorest

families and face real barriers to full

participation and attainment.’

Every Parent Matters Department for

Education and Skills (2007)

Vulnerability

• attitudes and assumptions

• service provision

• impairment

Barriers in the Child Protection System

All stages of the child protection process:

• Recognition

• Referral

• Investigation

• Protection

• Criminal justice

Safeguarding Disabled Children

Society level:

• Shift in values, attitudes and awareness so that disabled children are valued

• Individuals recognise individual responsibility and act

• Safeguarding becomes a priority

Safeguarding Disabled Children

Community level:

• Supportive, safe and empowering environments

• Consultation with disabled people

• Accessible information

• Accessible and flexible support systems

• Effective safeguarding policies

Safeguarding Disabled Children

Carer level:

• Communication

• Consultation

• Early and comprehensive assessments

• Co-ordinated support

• Training and awareness

Safeguarding Disabled Children

Individual level:

• Empowering disabled children in their daily lives.

• Developing communication vocabulary

• Sex education and safety and awareness work

National Developments

• National Service Framework (2004)

• Every Child Matters and Children Act (2004)

• Working together (2006)

• Resource for LSCBs (2006)

• Disability Discrimination Act (2005)

Recommendations of the National Working Group

• Consultation• review of policies and

procedures• data gathering and

analysis• training • resources

• child protection responsibilities

• placements • therapeutic support • advice and assistance • review

Deaf Children and their Families

• 95 percent of deaf born into hearing families

• Communications issues (exercise)

• Living on the peripheral

Safeguarding Deaf Children and Young People Project

• Joint NSPCC and NDCS project

• Safeguarding Deaf Children Group

• Increased risk deaf children to abuse

• Safety and awareness group work programme

Group work pilots

• 3 schools, 8 groups

• BSL, total communication, oral

• Primary and secondary

• Regional variation

Aims

Provide children with knowledge,

awareness, information and language to:

• Keep safe

• Make more informed choices

• Strengthen identity, self confidence and self-esteem

• Explore and understand experiences

Topic areas

• Feelings• Relationships• Differences• Bullying• Growing up, including sex education• Personal safety in the home• Personal safety outside the home• Road safety• Safety using the internet / mobile phones• Someone to turn to

Examples of storyboards

Feelings

Differences

Bullying

Some findings and outcomes of the pilot group work programmes

The children and young people:• Lacked the appropriate language, vocabulary

and awareness to be able to communicate abuse – including post 16 plus

• Had very limited (or no) knowledge of sex education

• Had poor self esteem and self confidence - particularly 11-18 yrs

• Were less likely to discuss with adults bullying or differences and were more likely to discuss feelings

Findings and outcomes (cont.)

• Deaf children of deaf parents had a stronger sense of deaf identity

• Professionals lacked confidence and knowledge to deliver the programme

• Referrals were made to Social Care & Health• Several disclosures were made during the

piloting• Links were made to therapeutic services • Professionals learnt new information about the

children and young people