Recognising and responding to the maltreatment of disabled children: A children’s rights approach

Abstract

Research has established that disabled young people are at greater risk of experiencing all forms of maltreatment, especially neglect (Jones et al, 2012). Despite increasing awareness of their heightened vulnerability, the maltreatment of disabled children remains under-recognised and is under-reported. Disabled children have the same rights as all children to be protected from maltreatment; to have their concerns listened to; to participate fully in decisions made about them; and to receive help to recover from maltreatment. In this paper Cossar et al’s (2013) framework for understanding the processes of recognition, telling and receiving help following maltreatment from the child’s perspective, is applied to disabled children. The particular barriers that disabled children and those working with them face in recognising and responding to maltreatment are analysed by reviewing what is known about child protection practice with disabled children, mainly in the UK. Suggestions are made about how practice with disabled children could be improved.