Neglect In Children Living With Disabilities

Hello, Shielded Space Community!

Welcome to our new page! We have been quite busy creating resources, relocating our web pages, and conducting training sessions, so our posting schedule has been a bit inconsistent. Earlier this week, I hosted a TikTok live session discussing abuse and neglect among children with disabilities, and this session inspired me to write this post.

Today, we will focus on the definition of children with disabilities, research linking neglect to disabilities, the unique needs of these children, factors contributing to their neglect, and how Safeglia Consult can support them. Be sure to read till the end, and share your feedback in the comments section below.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines living with a disability as having a long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment that – in interaction with the environment – hinders one’s participation in society on an equal basis with others. Therefore, for the purpose of this blog post, Children living with disabilities are children who fall under the above category. These impairments can range from physical disabilities, learning disabilities, and mental health issues to complex health needs and sensory impairments.

Research has shown the increased vulnerability of children living with disabilites to neglect. A study by Sullivan, P. M., & Knutson, J. F. (2000) found that “disabled children” are 3.4 times more likely to be neglected compared to their non-disabled peers. Another study by Jones et al. (2012) revealed that disabled children are at higher risk of both physical and emotional neglect due to the added complexities in their care needs.

Before we start to wonder why we should care, population data collected by UNICEF in 2023 states that nearly 240 million children in the world today have some form of disability. With the 2023 UNICEF population data for people under 18 being 2,397,435,502, this means 1 in 10 children have some form of disability which predisposes them to various forms of neglect. Putting this data into perspective, it is important for us to pay attention to the safeguarding of children living with disabilities.

Needs of Children living with Disabilities

Children with disabilities have unique needs that require tailored support and intervention. These needs may include Medical and Health Needs, Educational Needs, Social Needs, Emotional and Psychological Needs and Practical Support or assisted living. If these needs are not met, or are met partially, this could affect their interaction with their environment on an equal basis with peers and others.

Why Children with disabilities are Predisposed to Neglect

There are several factors that could contribute to the higher predisposition of disabled children to neglect. These include

• Invisibility: Disabled children may be less visible in society, leading to a lack of awareness and understanding of their needs.
• Dependence: Increased dependence on caregivers can make them more vulnerable if those caregivers are unable or unwilling to meet their needs.
• Communication Barriers: Difficulties in communication can hinder their ability to report neglect or seek help.
• Stigma and Discrimination: Societal attitudes and biases can lead to neglectful behaviour towards disabled children.
• Resource Limitations: Families with disabled children may face financial strain and a lack of adequate support services, leading to neglect.

Safeglia’s Support Services

As a safeguarding training and consulting firm, here are a few ways we support schools, churches and organisations that work with Children living with disabilities:

• Specialised Training Programmes on neglect, abuse awareness and safeguarding for people who work with children living with disabilities.
• The design and implementation of policies that specifically address the needs of disabled children.
• Consultation and advisory Services on complex safeguarding cases involving disabled children, and practical solutions that address challenges and improve safeguarding outcomes for “disabled” children.
• Family support and resources to help parents and families meet the needs of their disabled children. We engage with communities through workshops, seminars, and outreach programmes, to raise awareness about the challenges faced by “disabled children”.

Our next post would focus on the role of the Safeguarding officer in mitigating the risk of neglect to these children.

Till then, remember that “Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility”