safeguarding disabled children yasmin kovic & david miller
TRANSCRIPT
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