Safeguarding disabled children & young people

Children with a disability are children first and foremost, and deserving of the same rights and protection as other children. By definition, any child with a disability should also be considered as a child in need.

A child can be considered to be disabled if they have significant problems with learning, communication, comprehension, vision, hearing or physical functioning. The child may also have a diagnosis from a medical professional.

Whilst disabled children are likely to suffer much the same types of abuse as other children, research suggests that disabled children are 3 to 4 times more likely to be abused than non- disabled children.

Research has also shown that children with communication impairments, behavioural disorders, learning disabilities and sensory impairments are particularly vulnerable.

The most common forms of abuse experienced by disabled children are neglect and emotional abuse, although they may experience multiple forms of abuse.

Disclosing abuse can be more difficult for children who have a wide range of communication styles, and this can be more problematic if a perpetrator is also in a trusted role.

Ensuring disabled children’s wellbeing is everybody’s responsibility and it is critical that all practitioners are aware of the potential vulnerability of disabled children and to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns.