Direct work
It’s important to understand the additional risks d/Deaf children and children who have disabilities experience and to put in place plans to respond to these.
Recognising abuse
Adults who work or volunteer with children need to be able to recognise the signs that a child may be experiencing abuse.
> Read more about the definitions and signs of child abuse
There are additional signs of abuse or neglect specific to d/Deaf children and children with disabilities that professionals should be aware of so that any concerns can be escalated. This can include:
- a parent or carer misusing or misapplying a child’s medication
- a parent or carer not providing or withholding treatment
- a parent or carer not taking a child to medical appointments or not consistently taking them
- a parent or carer not taking their child for regular check-ups in relation to their disability, for example to a district nurse, occupational therapist, physiotherapist
- unnecessary medical procedure/s carried out against a child’s will
- teasing or bullying in relation to a child’s disability
- a child not being provided with appropriate stimulation and not communicated with.
Assessment and support
Learning from case reviews has suggested a number of ways practice can be improved. Within children with disabilities teams, social workers and social work assistants are managing very complex cases with few resources. Professionals need support and training to assess or understand the needs and support d/Deaf children and children with disabilities.
Professionals should:
- be aware of the range of services available to families and d/Deaf children and children with disabilities. Families and children should be referred to these services accordingly
- be aware of safeguarding issues for d/Deaf children and children who have disabilities
- assess all the needs of the child and their family, not just those related to the child’s disability
- assess whether parents understand, and are able meet, the additional needs of their d/Deaf children or children who have disabilities and are signposted to additional support as appropriate.
> Read the learning from case review briefing on d/Deaf children and children who have disabilities
Listening to the child
“I’ve had enough of being the punchline for everyone’s jokes. I don’t get a break from it, when it’s not name calling at school it’s in group chats over the weekend. I’m disabled and use a wheelchair fulltime so it’s bullying about that, it’s ableism. Lately it has made me think of ending my life, just to make it stop. I’ve told teachers, but no one does anything about it.
"Thanks for helping me through this, talking about these thoughts makes me feel better.”
Childline counselling session with a child whose age and gender were not disclosed
Listening to the thoughts and feelings of d/Deaf children and children who have disabilities and taking time to understand a their unique lived experience is an important part of promoting their welfare.
- Make sure the child’s voice is heard. Where there are safeguarding concerns, speak to children alone and don’t use parents or carers as sign-language interpreters or spoken language translators.
- If a child’s disability means talking about their abuse is difficult or impossible, make every attempt to communicate by other means.
- Consider how a child may communicate through their actions. Consider whether distressed or disruptive behaviour is due to the child’s disability or if the child is upset for another reason.
- Tailor tools and resources to the child’s needs. Check that the child has understood what you’ve told them and is able to apply it – don’t make assumptions about what they have understood.
- Work with children to empower them and help them feel able to speak out if they have any worries.
> Read more about empowering children with special educational needs and disabilities
If a child or young person needs confidential help and advice you can direct them to Childline. Calls to 0800 1111 are free and children can also contact Childline online or read on the Childline website. d/Deaf children can also contact Childline via Sign Video.
> Watch a BSL film about how to contact Childline using Sign Video (YouTube)
On the Childline website:
> Download our Childline posters
Responding to the needs of the family
d/Deaf children and children who have disabilities may also have d/Deaf parents or carers, or parents or carers who have disabilities. Services must recognise the everyday barriers parents and carers who have disabilities experience and provide accessible support to help them navigate any difficulties.
We've produced leaflets specifically for d/Deaf adults on recognising and reporting concerns if a child is being bullied or abused:
It is important for practitioners to remember that d/Deaf children and children who have disabilities and their families also experience the same difficulties as other families. This may include substance misuse, poverty and domestic abuse.
Foundations, the What Works Centre for Children and Families, has published a Practice guide1 to support professionals in delivering parenting support, such as structured interventions, programmes, and services, for parents of babies, children, young people and young adults aged 0 to 25 who have disabilities or special educational needs (SEN). The Practice guide has been developed to help professionals and agencies achieve the outcomes set out in the Department for Education’s statutory guidance Children’s social care national framework for England. 2
Information sharing and interagency cooperation
Professionals should have a shared understanding of:
- the nature of a child’s disability
- the services their family are receiving
- the risk of harm.
This information should be used by all agencies to distinguish between disability and child protection issues. For d/Deaf children and children who have disabilities, improved information sharing and interagency cooperation could mean:
- designating every family a lead professional to coordinate work across services and provide a single point of contact
- practitioners seeking support from other professionals with specialist skills who are more familiar with the nature of a child’s disability
- establishing contact needs with partners in health and social care in the area where the child who has a disability lives
- embedding specialist services for children who have disabilities within wider support services for children and families.
Communication
Each d/Deaf child or child who has a disability and their family will have their own complexities and needs.
As part of assessing a family’s needs it’s essential to establish the child’s preferred method of communication. They may use:
- British Sign Language (BSL)
- Makaton
- Widgit
- Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
- some signs with speech
- speech, lip reading and gestures
- flash cards, pictures and drawings.
Establish how the child communicates with their family and others. Find out from the child or young person if they have a trusted adult that they communicate directly with. You might find it useful to create a ‘communication passport’ that sets out the best ways to communicate with the child. This can help everyone working with the child understand the best approaches to use.
There is no ‘ideal’ way to facilitate communication between safeguarding professionals and d/Deaf children and children who have disabilities.
- Reflect on your own language limitations and don’t assume you can communicate 'well enough'. Even when a child can use spoken language this may not be the method of communication they’re most comfortable with.
- Consider who is best placed to check whether a child protection assessment or discussion requires the presence of a third party, such as a professional to help a child communicate. This depends on the age of the child, their disability and the complexity of the safeguarding concern. Where possible, ask the child what they would prefer.
- Always prioritise the child’s strengths, requirements and needs, regardless of whether you’re working with a BSL Interpreter or spoken language translator or not.
By putting children and young people at the centre and involving them in decisions about the best communication methods, we can provide more effective support.
Working with British Sign Language interpreters
Discuss the need for a British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreter with the child and their family. Make sure there is a budget allocated for this and know where to source this as soon as possible if needed.
BSL Interpreters are highly skilled professionals but may not be used to working in safeguarding and child protection situations. You should meet with the BSL Interpreter as part of preparation for a safeguarding meeting or conference with the family. This is to help them understand the issues and make sure they are able to explain all the necessary concepts to the child and their family.