NSPCC - Help and advice - Who to turn to - Protecting disabled childern

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Protecting disabled children

Disabled children are more vulnerable to abuse and may need greater protection for a number of reasons. They are often dependent on others for eating, dressing, toileting and getting around. Although the great majority of carers have the child's best interests at heart, some will use their vulnerability as an opportunity to abuse.
Sometimes, it can be hard to tell when a disabled child is being abused. People might think a child is behaving differently just because of his or her disability, and not realise they are being abused.

Communication problems

Many disabled children have communication difficulties, like deafness or speech problems. Some disabled children lack the personal, social and sexual education to know that they are being abused. It's very important that they are taught about abusive behaviour, and shown how to communicate about it if it happens to them. Remember, some alternative communication systems may not include the words children need to describe intimate or abusive acts.

We all know about physical and sexual abuse. But there are also more subtle forms of abuse such as:

the child being deprived of a suitable communication system
the child being deliberately prevented from seeing people outside the institution when they are living away from home.

Deaf children

Deaf children may not have sufficient communication skills or the vocabulary to describe what is happening to them. They can be particularly vulnerable because:

sometimes their method of communicating involves more direct touching
they may be away from home, for instance in a residential school
deaf children, especially those with an additional disability, are further exposed to a larger amount of touching contact.

What to look out for

As a disabled child may not be able to tell you they are being abused, here are a few things to look out for. They do not necessarily mean that the child is being abused, but if you notice anything you may wish to check it out further:

sudden unexplained changes in behaviour
signs of general distress or agitation
new or unexplained marks or bruising
sexualised behaviour
loss of appetite
self-harming
soiling.

This list is just an example. If you have any concerns at all, please call the NSPCC Child Protection Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or Textphone 0800 056 0566 for people with hearing problems. We're open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All calls are free, unless you're calling from a mobile phone. Your call will be taken in confidence. Click through to our website for details on how to contact us by email, fax, letter or BT Typetalk.