1. Safeguarding Children with disabilities
In groups discuss and present on flip chart:
What might lead to additional vulnerabilities for children with disabilities?
Ways that children with disabilities might be harmed/ at risk of harm?

2. Additional vulnerabilities for children with disabilities
• Greater risk of social isolation, fewer contacts
• Dependency on parents / carers for practical/ intimate care
• Impaired capacity to resist or avoid
• May have speech, language communication needs
• Often may not have access to someone they trust to talk to
• Especially vulnerable to bullying and intimidation
• Dependency on residential/ hospital services

3. • Not knowing enough about the child and usual behaviour
• Difficulties of caring for a disabled child.
• Not knowing enough about the child and usual behaviour
• Unable to understand child’s means of communication
• Lack of knowledge about the impact of disability on the child
• Disability masking or deterring an appropriate investigation
• Delays in responding to concerns
Over identifying with parents, reluctance to accept abuse may be
taking place

4. US study 2000 disabled children:
• 3.8 times more likely to be neglected
• 3.8 times more likely to be physically abused
• 3.1 times more likely to be sexually abuses
• 3.9 times more likely to be emotionally abused
Overall 31% of disabled children abused compared
to 9% prevalence rate in non disabled children
Children in Need census 2005:
• Disabled children make up 10% of all children in
care.
• Disabled children more likely to be looked after
because of abuse or neglect

5. Disabled children may be harmed through:
• Misuse of medication to manage behaviour
• Inappropriate restraint, sanction
• Humiliation, intimidation, verbal abuse, having needs ignored
• Insufficient time given for a child with impairments to have meals etc, not given enough help with feeding
• Removing batteries from a wheel chair to restrict movement,
solely for carers convenience.
• Bruising that might not be concerning in an ambulant child
• Lack of stimulation
Rough handling, inappropriate sanctions

6. What does this mean for practice:
• Same degree of professional concern accorded to non disabled
children
• Additional time and resources may be needed to properly assess/
investigate.
• Prompt and detailed sharing information is vital
• Ensure a thorough understanding of a child’s disability and its impact
(full descriptions)
• Be clear about a child’s preferred communication, “how does the child
indicate what they want/ do and don’t like”
• Establish number of carers, who, what, when, where

7. Parents appear reluctant to help their child, who has hearing and sight impairment, use hearing aids and spectacles. There were concerns that the child was not eating sufficiently, and parents were isolated and reluctant to accept help.
Parents were feeling under increased stress looking after their disabled child. They weren’t able to protect him from bullying and other risks in the community. They told social care that they wanted him to go in to long term care.
Concerns about a child who uses a wheelchair and has learning and physical disabilities; not attending health appointments; poor personal care; dressed inappropriately. Concerns have been over the last 12 months with little or no improvement

8. Level 1 of vulnerability:
Children and young people making good overall progress in all areas of their development, broadly receiving appropriate universal services such as health care and education. They may also use leisure and play facilities, housing or voluntary sector services. They may be living in circumstances where there may be worries, concerns or conflicts but these are infrequent, short lived and quickly resolved by the family or with support from extended family, community or the professionals with whom they usually have contact.
Universal services, working with communities, are those most likely to identify that a problem is emerging for the child or within a family.
Level 2 of Vulnerability:
Children and young people with emerging vulnerabilities whose needs require additional supporting the form of advice, direction and sometimes planned intervention or additional resources ; these would usually be provided by professionals who are already involved such as health, early years or education staff .

9. Level 3 of Vulnerability: Children or young people with complex vulnerabilities and needs that require a multi-agency co-ordinated approach supported by a clear co-ordinated action/ care plan.
Undertake the Early Help Assessment and develop a co-ordinated package of intervention
Level 4 of Vulnerability:
Children or young people with very complex needs OR I am extremely concerned for their safety based on evidence of abuse or neglect or disclosure by the child. The child’s health and development is being adversely affected.