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Dating Abuse Guidance – When practitioners are concerned about young people's relationships

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Dating Abuse Guidance – When practitioners are concerned about young people's relationships

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Practitioner Network Space  - Assessment and Analysis

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Practitioner Network Space  - Assessment and Analysis

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We want this to be an interactive space for practitioners, so please to leave any comments, questions or resource suggestions about ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS in this space and connect with inter-agency colleagues.

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Please take a moment to complete the quick evaluation form for today's Community of Practice. Thank you!

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Please take a moment to complete the quick evaluation form for today's Community of Practice. Thank you!

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Our confirmed speakers for our Assessment and Analysis Community of Practice are confirmed as:

Lisa Sutherland, Locality Reporter Manager for Tayside and Fife, on Making Referrals to the Reporter

Claire Wilson and Douglas Hardy from First Steps Team, on Parenting Capacity Assessment

Laura Harrison, School Nurse, on School Nursing Pathways and Young People's Mental Health.

Julie Baker, Lead Officer Child Protection, on the basics of Assessment

We look forward to seeing you there!

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7 minute briefing - Working Safely with Children and Young People 

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7 minute briefing - Working Safely with Children and Young People 

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Your quick reference resource. Download, share and use for your own personal reflection, team meetings and display in staff only spaces !

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7 Minute Briefing - Working Safely with CYP FINAL

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7 Minute Briefing - Engaging Effectively with Families 

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7 Minute Briefing - Engaging Effectively with Families 

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Your quick reference resource. Download, share and use for your own personal reflection, team meetings and display in staff only spaces !

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7 Minute Briefing - Engaging Effectively with Families FINAL

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PowerPoint Presentation from Event 20.11.2025

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PowerPoint Presentation from Event 20.11.2025

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How to talk to children about difficult topics - NSPCC Webpage 

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How to talk to children about difficult topics 

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How to talk to children about difficult topics 

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How to talk to children about difficult topics

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Advice on how to talk to children about difficult topics, such as divorce, illness and death.

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Table Feedback - Reflective Questions - COP7 Engaging with Families

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Perth Autism Support Website &  Upcoming Training Information 

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Perth Autism Support Website &  Upcoming Training Information 

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Perth Autism Support training dates and links for booking:

Introduction to Interoception - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introduction-to-interoception-tickets-1451978249029?aff=oddtdtcreator

Stages of Behaviour Change - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stages-of-change-perth-autism-support-tickets-1451985911949?aff=oddtdtcreator

Supporting Social Relationships - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/supporting-social-relationships-perth-autism-support-tickets-1451995631019?aff=oddtdtcreator

These are all free to attend and are for a range of service

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Perth Autism Support is a registered SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation) SC048183

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Independent Advocacy Perth and Kinross Website 

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Independent Advocacy Perth and Kinross Website 

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P&K CPC Child Protection Learning & Practice Development Opportunities 

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P&K CPC Child Protection Learning & Practice Development Opportunities 

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Gender Identify for Beginners - Amnesty 

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Gender Identify for Beginners - Amnesty 

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Your quick reference resource. Download, share and use for your own personal reflection, team meetings and display in staff only spaces !

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7 Minute Briefing - Safeguarding Children with Disabilities and Additional Support Needs

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7 Minute Briefing - Safeguarding Children with Disabilities and Additional Support Needs

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Your quick reference resource. Download, share and use for your own personal reflection, team meetings and display in staff only spaces !

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Why professional boundaries are important

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Why professional boundaries are important

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Why professional boundaries are important

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Social service workers have an important role in the lives of the people they support and rely on trust and rapport to develop good working relationships. Professional boundaries are the limits that make sure the relationship between a worker and the person using services is a safe and supportive one.

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Finally, the full truth of teacher Rebecca Joynes sex crimes can be told

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After a two-week trial at Manchester Crown Court Rebecca Joynes has been revealed as a sexual predator

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Working Safely With Children and Young People COP Powerpoint 03.09.25

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Preventing abuse in positions of trust | NSPCC Learning

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How to recognise, respond to and prevent abuse from people in a position of authority such as teachers, care workers and doctors. Covers legislation and guidance.

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Our Helpline saw an almost 50% rise in contacts about children’s welfare in sports last year

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We’re urging sports clubs and parents to support our Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport campaign.

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Relationship based practice

A guide for social service workers, to be used alongside local policies and procedures.

Go to:

Introduction

What is relationship-based practice

Relationship based practice and the SSSC Codes of Practice

Your practice

Supporting and supervising others

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Table feedback on key questions from event 

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Table feedback on key questions from event 

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What articles are particularly relevant to children with disabilities? what could you do to promote and uphold these rights?

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Safeguarding children with disabilities and complex health needs in residential settings

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Safeguarding children with disabilities and complex health needs in residential settings

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Why language matters: children who have disabilities rather than disabled children | NSPCC Learning

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Using child-first or child-led language reminds us of the importance of seeing children who have disabilities as children first, instead of focusing on their disabilities.

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Practitioner Network Space  - Resolution and Escalation of Professional Differences 

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Practitioner Network Space  - Resolution and Escalation of Professional Differences 

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NSPCC - Safeguarding d/Deaf and disabled children and young people page

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NSPCC - Safeguarding d/Deaf and disabled children and young people page

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Introduction

Guidance on protecting d/Deaf and disabled children and young people from abuse

We all have a responsibility to keep all children and young people safe. A child having a disability, being d/Deaf or needing additional support should never stop someone acting on child protection concerns.

We're using the term 'disabled children' to refer to children and young people with a range of very different conditions and identities, some of whom may not identify as being disabled. This includes children who:

are d/Deaf

are on the autistic spectrum

have a condition such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

have a learning disability

have a physical disability such as cerebral palsy

have visual impairment

have a long-term illness.

Children and young people may use different language to describe themselves and their needs. You should ask what terms they would prefer and use these when talking to them.

Children and young people who have disabilities are at an increased risk of being abused compared with their non-disabled peers (Jones et al, 2012) and are also less likely to receive the protection and support they need when they have been abused (Taylor et al, 2014).

Professionals sometimes have difficulty identifying safeguarding concerns when working with d/Deaf and disabled children (NSPCC, 2016).

It's vital that everyone who works with d/Deaf and disabled children understands how to protect them against people who would take advantage of their increased vulnerability.
> Find out more about safeguarding children with special educational needs

Risk and vulnerability factors

Who is at most risk of abuse?

Disabled children at greatest risk of abuse are those with behaviour or conduct disorders. Other high-risk groups include:

children with learning difficulties/disabilities

children with speech and language difficulties

children with health-related conditions

d/Deaf children

(Miller and Brown, 2014).

Why are disabled children at greater risk of abuse?

There are several factors that contribute to disabled children and young people being at a greater risk of abuse.

Communication barriers

Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (including those who are d/Deaf, or have a learning disability or physical disability) face extra barriers when it comes to sharing their worries and concerns.

Adults may have difficulty understanding a child's speech so they may not realise when a child is trying to tell them about abuse.

Adults may not have the knowledge and skills to communicate non-verbally with a child, which can make it harder for children to share their thoughts and feelings.

Communicating solely with parents or carers may pose a risk if the child is being abused by their parent or carer.

It can be difficult to teach messages about what abuse is or how to keep safe to children with communication needs. Without this knowledge children may not recognise that they are being abused or won't know how to describe what's happening to them.

Misunderstanding the signs of abuse

It's not always easy to spot the signs of abuse. In some cases, adults may mistake the indicators of abuse for signs of a child's disability.

A child experiencing abuse or attempting to disclose abuse may self-harm or display inappropriate sexual behaviour or other repetitive and challenging behaviours. If this is misinterpreted as part of a child's disability or health condition rather than an indicator of abuse, it can prevent adults from taking action.

Injuries such as bruising may not raise the same level of concern as they would if seen on a non-disabled child. Adults may assume that bruising was self-inflicted or caused by disability equipment or problems with mobility.

Lack of education on staying safe

Personal safety programmes and relationships and sex education (RSE) are not always made accessible to d/Deaf and disabled children, and not always taught in special schools. This can be for a number of reasons:

teachers may not realise they need to teach RSE to children with disabilities

parents and professionals may think young people with learning disabilities shouldn't have relationships or sex

teachers may feel they need more training about how to deliver RSE to children with disabilities

school governors may not approve RSE being taught in a different, more accessible way

the school may prioritise other subjects over RSE

sex and relationships education may not be taught in a way that makes sense to young people with learning disabilities

(Garbutt et al, 2010).

As a result, a disabled child may not know how to recognise abuse or who to tell.
> Find out more about sex and relationships education for children with special educational needs
Increased isolation

Disabled children may have less contact with other people than non-disabled children, because they have:

(Franklin, 2016).

This means they have fewer people to turn to if they need help or support.

They may be further isolated if they:

need carers to take them out

have restricted independence because they use a wheelchair or require a sign language interpreter

live away from home at a residential school.

Disabled children and their families may have limited access to support systems. Support may not be available due to lack of funding or it may not be appropriate for the child's physical, emotional or cultural needs. This can make it difficult for parents to provide the care their child needs and add to the pressure of caring for a disabled child.

Dependency on others

Children with disabilities may have regular contact with a wide network of carers and other adults for practical assistance in daily living including personal intimate care. This can increase the opportunity for an abusive adult to be alone with a child.

If a child is abused by a carer they rely on, they may be more reluctant to disclose abuse for fear that the support service will stop.

Caring for a child with little or no support can put families under stress. This can make it difficult for parents to provide the care their child needs and can lead to a child being abused or neglected.

Inadequate support

It can be difficult for any child who has experienced abuse to get the support they need, but disabled children may face extra problems.

Intersectionality

Taking an intersectional approach

d/Deaf and disabled children, like all children, have diverse identities. As well as experiencing prejudice or bias related to their disability, they might experience challenges relating to other parts of their identity, such as:

ethnicity

sexuality

gender

mental health

having been in care

where they live, how much money they have and how much access they have to education.

The way these challenges interact is known as intersectionality.

It can be difficult for children to cope with this, and it can have a negative impact on their welfare.

"I have ADHD and have been diagnosed with depression. I've been having a hard time at school, which has got worse since I came out as gay. The guys who bully me do it in the playground and online in the evenings when I'm trying to relax. When I get stressed, I make sudden movements and shout out things, which I can't control. Sometimes I also hurt myself when I act like this."
Childline counselling session with a boy aged 14 > Listen to our podcast episode on intersectionality in social work practice
Learning for practitioners: understanding the child

When you're working with a child, consider all the factors that might influence their safety and wellbeing. Take the time to get to know them, understand their lived experience and how they might face risks due to how others might perceive their identity.

You could consider creating safe spaces for children who have similar identities or come from the same community. This might help them talk about their experiences and get peer support.

Find out more about:

Safeguarding policies and procedures

Safeguarding policies and procedures

The needs of all children with a disability should be incorporated into safeguarding policies and procedures.

Safeguarding policy statements should:
> Find out more about writing a safeguarding policy
Intimate care

Children with certain disabilities or medical issues may need help and support with intimate personal care including going to the toilet and washing.
> Find out more about providing safe intimate care
Medication

Some children and young people with disabilities may need medication. Schools and residential care settings should have a policy in place on administering medication.

A medication policy should cover:

You can find specific guidance on administering medication in different settings in the legislation and guidance tab.

Where appropriate, children and young people should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own healthcare, including administering medication.
> Read more about assessing children and young people's competency
Training

Everyone working with children should receive regular child protection training.

Training should highlight the reasons disabled children are at increased risk of abuse and neglect and why additional safeguards are needed to protect them.

It should provide guidance on what to look out for and how to respond early to the needs of disabled children.
> Take our Safeguarding d/Deaf and disabled children training > Find out more about how our specialist consultants can provide support to your organisation > Discover how often child protection training should be refreshed in each UK nation

Direct work

Direct work

Assessment

In any assessment of a disabled child professionals should assess all the needs of the child and their family, not just those related to the child's disability.

Professionals should ensure that parents understand and are supported to meet the additional needs of caring for a disabled child.

Professionals across all agencies should be aware of safeguarding issues for disabled children.

Professionals should be aware of the range of services available to families and disabled children. Families and children should be referred to these services accordingly (NSPCC, 2016).

Best practice

Learning from case reviews about disabled children emphasises the importance of child focused practice, highlighting the need for a holistic approach to supporting disabled children and their families (NSPCC, 2016).
> See the learning from case review briefing
Listening to the child

Make sure the child's voice is heard. Where there are safeguarding concerns, speak to children alone and don't use parents as interpreters.

If a child's disability means verbal communication 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.

Information sharing

Professionals should have a shared understanding of the nature of a child's disability, the services their family are receiving and the risk of harm. This information should be used by all agencies to distinguish between disability and child protection issues.

Interagency cooperation

Specialist disabled children services should be embedded within wider support services and children and families.

Every family should be designated a lead professional to coordinate work across services and provide a single point of contact (NSPCC, 2016).

Communication

Every child and family is different and has their own complexities and needs.

As part of assessing a family's needs it's essential to establish a d/Deaf or disabled 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.

Establish how the child communicates with their family and others. Find out if there are any trusted adults that the child or young person communicates directly with. This could be:

another member of the family

a teacher

a youth club leader.

There is no 'ideal' way to facilitate communication between safeguarding professionals and d/Deaf and disabled children and young people.

Consider whether a child protection assessment or discussion is better with or without a third party. Would the child rather communicate directly with a trusted individual or have a third party in the room?

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.

Find out about parents' preferred communication method. Parents need to be given every opportunity to communicate in their own language.

Always prioritise the child's strengths, requirements and needs, regardless of whether you're working with an interpreter or not.

Working with British Sign Language interpreters

Discuss the need for a British Sign Language interpreter with the child and their family and make sure one is found as soon as possible if needed.

It's likely that sign language interpreters will be more familiar with d/Deaf culture than safeguarding practitioners. Their cultural knowledge can help you gain optimal understanding of a situation and encourage children and families to open up.

Sign language interpreters are highly skilled professionals, but may not be used to working in safeguarding and child protection situations. You should meet with the interpreter in advance to help them understand the issues and make sure they are able to explain all the necessary concepts to the child and their family.
Schools
Staff and volunteers in schools should be aware of the additional vulnerabilities children with disabilities or special educational needs face and understand their responsibilities for keeping children safe. Teachers and other school staff should also work to empower children and help them feel able to speak out if they have any worries.
> Read more about empowering children with special educational needs and disabilities

Legislation and guidance

Legislation on safeguarding d/Deaf and disabled children

Statutory guidance across the UK highlights the responsibility of those in education, community and care sectors to safeguard all children from all forms of abuse and neglect.

The statutory guidance in all nations includes sections on safeguarding disabled children and young people. Find out more about child protection in:

See also Key guidance for schools in the UK.

Key legislation and guidance

The key legislation relating to the safeguarding of d/Deaf and disabled children in England is the Children and Families Act 2014. Part 3 establishes help for children with special educational needs and disabilities, including a single assessment process and personal budgets.

Under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989, local authorities in England must also safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need. A child in need is a child who is unlikely to achieve or maintain, or have the opportunity to achieve or maintain, a reasonable standard of health and development without any support provided by a public authority. This may include having a disability.

In Northern Ireland, The Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 sets out how children in need and their families are supported, including giving information about the assessment of carers of disabled children.

In Scotland, Sections 23 and 24 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 refer specifically to disabled children. The Act requires local authorities to give disabled children the opportunity to lead lives which are "as normal as possible". It also requires local authorities to promote the welfare of children in need.

The Scottish Government has published guidance on supporting disabled children, young people and their families. This guidance includes information and advice on disabled children's rights, supporting their mental health and wellbeing and child protection (Scottish Government, 2019).

In Wales, Section 15 of the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014 requires local authorities to minimise the effects of disabilities on disabled people.

The Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011 embeds the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Welsh law, including giving disabled children the right to protection, participation and service provision.
> Read more about the legislation and guidance relating to children with special educational needs
Discrimination

In England, Scotland and Wales, the Equality Act 2010 provides protection from discrimination against disabled people, requiring service providers to make sure their service is accessible for disabled people to the same standards as non-disabled people.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 provides protection from discrimination against disabled people in Northern Ireland. Schedule 8 prohibits discrimination against disabled people relating to goods and services.

Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 requires public authorities to promote equality of opportunity between disabled and non-disabled people.

Medical care and health conditions

There is guidance on administering medication and providing medical care for schools and residential settings in each UK nation.

In England mainstream schools should follow the Department for Education (DfE) guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (DfE, 2015b). There is separate guidance for residential special schools (DFE, 2015a) and children's homes (DfE, 2015c).

Schools in Northern Ireland should follow Supporting pupils with medication needs (DoE and DHSSPS, 2009). Children's homes must meet the Minimum standards (DHSSPS, 2014).

In Scotland, the key guidance relating to medication in schools is Supporting children and young people with healthcare needs in schools (Scottish Government, 2017). There is a section on medication in the National care standards for children's homes (Scottish Government, 2011).

In Wales, schools should follow Supporting learners with healthcare needs (Welsh Government, 2017). There are National minimum standards covering medication for residential special schools (Welsh Government, 2003) and children's homes (Welsh Government, 2002).

Special measures for disabled child witnesses

Across all four nations in the UK, there are statutory 'special measures' that can be used for the purpose of taking evidence from a vulnerable witness, including disabled children.

These include:

screening the witnesses from the accused

giving evidence by live link

giving evidence in private.

If a young witness is disabled, they may have particular difficulties attending court and giving evidence.

In England and Wales, the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 introduced a range of measures to help children in these circumstances. Section 16 specifies the grounds on which a child may be eligible for assistance.

The Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 makes provision for assistance such as communication for witnesses who are disabled. The Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 raised the maximum age for eligibility for assistance from 17 to 18.

The Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004 defines and outlines the provisions for vulnerable witnesses in Section 1.
> Sign up to CASPAR to stay up-to-date with new legislation and guidance

References and resources

References and resources

References

Department for Education (DfE) (2015a) Residential special schools: national minimum standards (PDF). London: Department for Education (DfE).

Department for Education (DfE) (2015b) Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions: statutory guidance for governing bodies of maintained schools and proprietors of academies in England (PDF). London: Department for Education (DfE).

Department for Education (DfE) (2015c) Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards. London: Department for Education (DfE).

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) (2014) Minimum standards for children's homes (PDF). Belfast: Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS).

Department of Education (DoE) and Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) (2009). Supporting pupils with medication needs (PDF). Bangor: Department of Education (DoE).

Franklin, A. (2016) Friendship opportunities for disabled children and young people. Coventry: Children and Families Research, Coventry University.

Garbutt, R. et al (2010) Final report: talking about sex and relationships: the views of young people with learning disabilities (PDF). Leeds: CHANGE.

Hershkowitz, I. Lamb, M.E. and Horowitz, D. (2007) Victimization of children with disabilities. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 77(4): 629-635.

Jones, L. et al (2012) Prevalence and risk of violence against children with disabilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.The Lancet, 380(9845): 899-907.

Miller, D. and Brown, J. (2014) 'We have the right to be safe': protecting disabled children from abuse. London: NSPCC.

NSPCC (2016) Deaf and disabled children: learning from case reviews. London: NSPCC.

Scottish Government (2019) Supporting disabled children, young people and their families: guidance. [Accessed 08/04/2021].

Scottish Government (2017) Supporting children and young people with healthcare needs in schools: guidance for NHS boards, education authorities and schools (PDF). Edinburgh: Scottish Government.

Scottish Government (2011) National care standards: care homes for children and young people. Edinburgh: Scottish Government.

Taylor, J. et al (2014) An investigation into the relationship between professional practice, child protection and disability (PDF). Edinburgh: The Scottish Government.

Welsh Assembly Government (2003) National minimum standards for residential special schools (PDF). Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government.

Welsh Assembly Government (2002) National minimum standards for children's homes (PDF). Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government.

Welsh Government (2017) Supporting learners with healthcare needs: guidance (PDF). Cardiff: Welsh Government.

Childline

If a child or young person needs confidential help and advice direct them to Childline. Calls to 0800 1111 are free and children can also contact Childline online or read on the Childline website:

You can also download or order Childline posters and wallet cards.

Further reading

For further reading about disabled children, search the NSPCC Library catalogue using the keywords "children with disabilities"; "children with multiple disabilities"; "children with physical disabilities"; "deafness"; "safeguarding".
> Find out more about the Library and Information Service
Related NSPCC resources

Read our leaflets specifically for d/Deaf adults on recognising and reporting concerns if a child is being bullied or abused:

Our summary of learning for improved practice from case reviews working with d/Deaf and disabled children provides several key findings.

Introduction

Guidance on protecting d/Deaf and disabled children and young people from abuse

We all have a responsibility to keep all children and young people safe. A child having a disability, being d/Deaf or needing additional support should never stop someone acting on child protection concerns.

We're using the term 'disabled children' to refer to children and young people with a range of very different conditions and identities, some of whom may not identify as being disabled. This includes children who:

are d/Deaf

are on the autistic spectrum

have a condition such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

have a learning disability

have a physical disability such as cerebral palsy

have visual impairment

have a long-term illness.

Children and young people may use different language to describe themselves and their needs. You should ask what terms they would prefer and use these when talking to them.

Children and young people who have disabilities are at an increased risk of being abused compared with their non-disabled peers (Jones et al, 2012) and are also less likely to receive the protection and support they need when they have been abused (Taylor et al, 2014).

Professionals sometimes have difficulty identifying safeguarding concerns when working with d/Deaf and disabled children (NSPCC, 2016).

It's vital that everyone who works with d/Deaf and disabled children understands how to protect them against people who would take advantage of their increased vulnerability.
> Find out more about safeguarding children with special educational needs

Risk and vulnerability factors

Who is at most risk of abuse?

Disabled children at greatest risk of abuse are those with behaviour or conduct disorders. Other high-risk groups include:

children with learning difficulties/disabilities

children with speech and language difficulties

children with health-related conditions

d/Deaf children

(Miller and Brown, 2014).

Why are disabled children at greater risk of abuse?

There are several factors that contribute to disabled children and young people being at a greater risk of abuse.

Communication barriers

Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (including those who are d/Deaf, or have a learning disability or physical disability) face extra barriers when it comes to sharing their worries and concerns.

Adults may have difficulty understanding a child's speech so they may not realise when a child is trying to tell them about abuse.

Adults may not have the knowledge and skills to communicate non-verbally with a child, which can make it harder for children to share their thoughts and feelings.

Communicating solely with parents or carers may pose a risk if the child is being abused by their parent or carer.

It can be difficult to teach messages about what abuse is or how to keep safe to children with communication needs. Without this knowledge children may not recognise that they are being abused or won't know how to describe what's happening to them.

Misunderstanding the signs of abuse

It's not always easy to spot the signs of abuse. In some cases, adults may mistake the indicators of abuse for signs of a child's disability.

A child experiencing abuse or attempting to disclose abuse may self-harm or display inappropriate sexual behaviour or other repetitive and challenging behaviours. If this is misinterpreted as part of a child's disability or health condition rather than an indicator of abuse, it can prevent adults from taking action.

Injuries such as bruising may not raise the same level of concern as they would if seen on a non-disabled child. Adults may assume that bruising was self-inflicted or caused by disability equipment or problems with mobility.

Lack of education on staying safe

Personal safety programmes and relationships and sex education (RSE) are not always made accessible to d/Deaf and disabled children, and not always taught in special schools. This can be for a number of reasons:

teachers may not realise they need to teach RSE to children with disabilities

parents and professionals may think young people with learning disabilities shouldn't have relationships or sex

teachers may feel they need more training about how to deliver RSE to children with disabilities

school governors may not approve RSE being taught in a different, more accessible way

the school may prioritise other subjects over RSE

sex and relationships education may not be taught in a way that makes sense to young people with learning disabilities

(Garbutt et al, 2010).

As a result, a disabled child may not know how to recognise abuse or who to tell.
> Find out more about sex and relationships education for children with special educational needs
Increased isolation

Disabled children may have less contact with other people than non-disabled children, because they have:

(Franklin, 2016).

This means they have fewer people to turn to if they need help or support.

They may be further isolated if they:

need carers to take them out

have restricted independence because they use a wheelchair or require a sign language interpreter

live away from home at a residential school.

Disabled children and their families may have limited access to support systems. Support may not be available due to lack of funding or it may not be appropriate for the child's physical, emotional or cultural needs. This can make it difficult for parents to provide the care their child needs and add to the pressure of caring for a disabled child.

Dependency on others

Children with disabilities may have regular contact with a wide network of carers and other adults for practical assistance in daily living including personal intimate care. This can increase the opportunity for an abusive adult to be alone with a child.

If a child is abused by a carer they rely on, they may be more reluctant to disclose abuse for fear that the support service will stop.

Caring for a child with little or no support can put families under stress. This can make it difficult for parents to provide the care their child needs and can lead to a child being abused or neglected.

Inadequate support

It can be difficult for any child who has experienced abuse to get the support they need, but disabled children may face extra problems.

Intersectionality

Taking an intersectional approach

d/Deaf and disabled children, like all children, have diverse identities. As well as experiencing prejudice or bias related to their disability, they might experience challenges relating to other parts of their identity, such as:

ethnicity

sexuality

gender

mental health

having been in care

where they live, how much money they have and how much access they have to education.

The way these challenges interact is known as intersectionality.

It can be difficult for children to cope with this, and it can have a negative impact on their welfare.

"I have ADHD and have been diagnosed with depression. I've been having a hard time at school, which has got worse since I came out as gay. The guys who bully me do it in the playground and online in the evenings when I'm trying to relax. When I get stressed, I make sudden movements and shout out things, which I can't control. Sometimes I also hurt myself when I act like this."
Childline counselling session with a boy aged 14 > Listen to our podcast episode on intersectionality in social work practice
Learning for practitioners: understanding the child

When you're working with a child, consider all the factors that might influence their safety and wellbeing. Take the time to get to know them, understand their lived experience and how they might face risks due to how others might perceive their identity.

You could consider creating safe spaces for children who have similar identities or come from the same community. This might help them talk about their experiences and get peer support.

Find out more about:

Safeguarding policies and procedures

Safeguarding policies and procedures

The needs of all children with a disability should be incorporated into safeguarding policies and procedures.

Safeguarding policy statements should:
> Find out more about writing a safeguarding policy
Intimate care

Children with certain disabilities or medical issues may need help and support with intimate personal care including going to the toilet and washing.
> Find out more about providing safe intimate care
Medication

Some children and young people with disabilities may need medication. Schools and residential care settings should have a policy in place on administering medication.

A medication policy should cover:

You can find specific guidance on administering medication in different settings in the legislation and guidance tab.

Where appropriate, children and young people should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own healthcare, including administering medication.
> Read more about assessing children and young people's competency
Training

Everyone working with children should receive regular child protection training.

Training should highlight the reasons disabled children are at increased risk of abuse and neglect and why additional safeguards are needed to protect them.

It should provide guidance on what to look out for and how to respond early to the needs of disabled children.
> Take our Safeguarding d/Deaf and disabled children training > Find out more about how our specialist consultants can provide support to your organisation > Discover how often child protection training should be refreshed in each UK nation

Direct work

Direct work

Assessment

In any assessment of a disabled child professionals should assess all the needs of the child and their family, not just those related to the child's disability.

Professionals should ensure that parents understand and are supported to meet the additional needs of caring for a disabled child.

Professionals across all agencies should be aware of safeguarding issues for disabled children.

Professionals should be aware of the range of services available to families and disabled children. Families and children should be referred to these services accordingly (NSPCC, 2016).

Best practice

Learning from case reviews about disabled children emphasises the importance of child focused practice, highlighting the need for a holistic approach to supporting disabled children and their families (NSPCC, 2016).
> See the learning from case review briefing
Listening to the child

Make sure the child's voice is heard. Where there are safeguarding concerns, speak to children alone and don't use parents as interpreters.

If a child's disability means verbal communication 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.

Information sharing

Professionals should have a shared understanding of the nature of a child's disability, the services their family are receiving and the risk of harm. This information should be used by all agencies to distinguish between disability and child protection issues.

Interagency cooperation

Specialist disabled children services should be embedded within wider support services and children and families.

Every family should be designated a lead professional to coordinate work across services and provide a single point of contact (NSPCC, 2016).

Communication

Every child and family is different and has their own complexities and needs.

As part of assessing a family's needs it's essential to establish a d/Deaf or disabled 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.

Establish how the child communicates with their family and others. Find out if there are any trusted adults that the child or young person communicates directly with. This could be:

another member of the family

a teacher

a youth club leader.

There is no 'ideal' way to facilitate communication between safeguarding professionals and d/Deaf and disabled children and young people.

Consider whether a child protection assessment or discussion is better with or without a third party. Would the child rather communicate directly with a trusted individual or have a third party in the room?

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.

Find out about parents' preferred communication method. Parents need to be given every opportunity to communicate in their own language.

Always prioritise the child's strengths, requirements and needs, regardless of whether you're working with an interpreter or not.

Working with British Sign Language interpreters

Discuss the need for a British Sign Language interpreter with the child and their family and make sure one is found as soon as possible if needed.

It's likely that sign language interpreters will be more familiar with d/Deaf culture than safeguarding practitioners. Their cultural knowledge can help you gain optimal understanding of a situation and encourage children and families to open up.

Sign language interpreters are highly skilled professionals, but may not be used to working in safeguarding and child protection situations. You should meet with the interpreter in advance to help them understand the issues and make sure they are able to explain all the necessary concepts to the child and their family.
Schools
Staff and volunteers in schools should be aware of the additional vulnerabilities children with disabilities or special educational needs face and understand their responsibilities for keeping children safe. Teachers and other school staff should also work to empower children and help them feel able to speak out if they have any worries.
> Read more about empowering children with special educational needs and disabilities

Legislation and guidance

Legislation on safeguarding d/Deaf and disabled children

Statutory guidance across the UK highlights the responsibility of those in education, community and care sectors to safeguard all children from all forms of abuse and neglect.

The statutory guidance in all nations includes sections on safeguarding disabled children and young people. Find out more about child protection in:

See also Key guidance for schools in the UK.

Key legislation and guidance

The key legislation relating to the safeguarding of d/Deaf and disabled children in England is the Children and Families Act 2014. Part 3 establishes help for children with special educational needs and disabilities, including a single assessment process and personal budgets.

Under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989, local authorities in England must also safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need. A child in need is a child who is unlikely to achieve or maintain, or have the opportunity to achieve or maintain, a reasonable standard of health and development without any support provided by a public authority. This may include having a disability.

In Northern Ireland, The Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 sets out how children in need and their families are supported, including giving information about the assessment of carers of disabled children.

In Scotland, Sections 23 and 24 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 refer specifically to disabled children. The Act requires local authorities to give disabled children the opportunity to lead lives which are "as normal as possible". It also requires local authorities to promote the welfare of children in need.

The Scottish Government has published guidance on supporting disabled children, young people and their families. This guidance includes information and advice on disabled children's rights, supporting their mental health and wellbeing and child protection (Scottish Government, 2019).

In Wales, Section 15 of the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014 requires local authorities to minimise the effects of disabilities on disabled people.

The Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011 embeds the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Welsh law, including giving disabled children the right to protection, participation and service provision.
> Read more about the legislation and guidance relating to children with special educational needs
Discrimination

In England, Scotland and Wales, the Equality Act 2010 provides protection from discrimination against disabled people, requiring service providers to make sure their service is accessible for disabled people to the same standards as non-disabled people.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 provides protection from discrimination against disabled people in Northern Ireland. Schedule 8 prohibits discrimination against disabled people relating to goods and services.

Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 requires public authorities to promote equality of opportunity between disabled and non-disabled people.

Medical care and health conditions

There is guidance on administering medication and providing medical care for schools and residential settings in each UK nation.

In England mainstream schools should follow the Department for Education (DfE) guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (DfE, 2015b). There is separate guidance for residential special schools (DFE, 2015a) and children's homes (DfE, 2015c).

Schools in Northern Ireland should follow Supporting pupils with medication needs (DoE and DHSSPS, 2009). Children's homes must meet the Minimum standards (DHSSPS, 2014).

In Scotland, the key guidance relating to medication in schools is Supporting children and young people with healthcare needs in schools (Scottish Government, 2017). There is a section on medication in the National care standards for children's homes (Scottish Government, 2011).

In Wales, schools should follow Supporting learners with healthcare needs (Welsh Government, 2017). There are National minimum standards covering medication for residential special schools (Welsh Government, 2003) and children's homes (Welsh Government, 2002).

Special measures for disabled child witnesses

Across all four nations in the UK, there are statutory 'special measures' that can be used for the purpose of taking evidence from a vulnerable witness, including disabled children.

These include:

screening the witnesses from the accused

giving evidence by live link

giving evidence in private.

If a young witness is disabled, they may have particular difficulties attending court and giving evidence.

In England and Wales, the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 introduced a range of measures to help children in these circumstances. Section 16 specifies the grounds on which a child may be eligible for assistance.

The Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 makes provision for assistance such as communication for witnesses who are disabled. The Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 raised the maximum age for eligibility for assistance from 17 to 18.

The Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004 defines and outlines the provisions for vulnerable witnesses in Section 1.
> Sign up to CASPAR to stay up-to-date with new legislation and guidance

References and resources

References and resources

References

Department for Education (DfE) (2015a) Residential special schools: national minimum standards (PDF). London: Department for Education (DfE).

Department for Education (DfE) (2015b) Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions: statutory guidance for governing bodies of maintained schools and proprietors of academies in England (PDF). London: Department for Education (DfE).

Department for Education (DfE) (2015c) Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards. London: Department for Education (DfE).

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) (2014) Minimum standards for children's homes (PDF). Belfast: Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS).

Department of Education (DoE) and Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) (2009). Supporting pupils with medication needs (PDF). Bangor: Department of Education (DoE).

Franklin, A. (2016) Friendship opportunities for disabled children and young people. Coventry: Children and Families Research, Coventry University.

Garbutt, R. et al (2010) Final report: talking about sex and relationships: the views of young people with learning disabilities (PDF). Leeds: CHANGE.

Hershkowitz, I. Lamb, M.E. and Horowitz, D. (2007) Victimization of children with disabilities. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 77(4): 629-635.

Jones, L. et al (2012) Prevalence and risk of violence against children with disabilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.The Lancet, 380(9845): 899-907.

Miller, D. and Brown, J. (2014) 'We have the right to be safe': protecting disabled children from abuse. London: NSPCC.

NSPCC (2016) Deaf and disabled children: learning from case reviews. London: NSPCC.

Scottish Government (2019) Supporting disabled children, young people and their families: guidance. [Accessed 08/04/2021].

Scottish Government (2017) Supporting children and young people with healthcare needs in schools: guidance for NHS boards, education authorities and schools (PDF). Edinburgh: Scottish Government.

Scottish Government (2011) National care standards: care homes for children and young people. Edinburgh: Scottish Government.

Taylor, J. et al (2014) An investigation into the relationship between professional practice, child protection and disability (PDF). Edinburgh: The Scottish Government.

Welsh Assembly Government (2003) National minimum standards for residential special schools (PDF). Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government.

Welsh Assembly Government (2002) National minimum standards for children's homes (PDF). Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government.

Welsh Government (2017) Supporting learners with healthcare needs: guidance (PDF). Cardiff: Welsh Government.

Childline

If a child or young person needs confidential help and advice direct them to Childline. Calls to 0800 1111 are free and children can also contact Childline online or read on the Childline website:

You can also download or order Childline posters and wallet cards.

Further reading

For further reading about disabled children, search the NSPCC Library catalogue using the keywords "children with disabilities"; "children with multiple disabilities"; "children with physical disabilities"; "deafness"; "safeguarding".
> Find out more about the Library and Information Service
Related NSPCC resources

Read our leaflets specifically for d/Deaf adults on recognising and reporting concerns if a child is being bullied or abused:

Our summary of learning for improved practice from case reviews working with d/Deaf and disabled children provides several key findings.

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Safeguarding d/Deaf and disabled children | NSPCC Learning

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Introduction We all have a responsibility to keep all children and young people safe. A child having a disability, being d/Deaf or needing additional support should never stop someone acting on child protection concerns. We're using the term 'disabled children' to refer to children and young people with a range of very different conditions and identities, some of whom may not identify as being disabled.

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Updated 2025 - Tayside Joint Protocol for the Medical Examination of Children and Young People

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Updated 2025 - Tayside Joint Protocol for the Medical Examination of Children and Young People

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Medical Examinations of

Children and Young Peopl

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Tayside Joint Protocol for Medical Examinations of Children and Young People updated April 2025

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Child   Family Social Work - 2006 - Howe - Disabled children  parent child interaction and attachment

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Taking action to improve the collection of statistics about disabled children in Scotland :: Celcis

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In this blog post, Dr Alex McTier, Evidence and Evaluation Specialist at CELCIS, explains what’s behind a new project to help better understand the needs of Scotland’s children

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Scottish Guidance - Supporting Disabled Children, Young People and their Families 

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Scottish Guidance - Supporting Disabled Children, Young People and their Families 

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Supporting disabled children, young people and their families: guidance

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Scottish Government guidance to help improve the experiences of disabled children, young people, and their families.

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Child   Family Social Work - 2006 - Howe - Disabled children  parent child interaction and attachment

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Keeping children with learning disabilities safe from sexual abuse  (Stop it Now / Lucy Faithfull Foundation)

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Keeping children with learning disabilities safe from sexual abuse  (Stop it Now / Lucy Faithfull Foundation)

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Disabled children are over three times more likely to be abused than non-disabled children

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Meeting the needs of YP with learning disabilities who experience or at risk of Sexual Exploitation 

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Meeting the needs of YP with learning disabilities who experience or at risk of Sexual Exploitation 

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This report aims to increase understanding of how to meet the needs of young people with learning disabilities who experience, or are at risk of, CSE.

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Practitioner Network Space  - Professional Curiosity

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Practitioner Network Space  - Professional Curiosity

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We want this to be an interactive space for practitioners, so please to leave any comments, questions or resource suggestions about PROFESSIONAL CURIOSITY in this space and connect with inter-agency colleagues.

Each CoP theme has its own practitioner space within this padlet. Look for the yellow box within each section.

N.B. When posting, please state your name and job role (Padlet guest users are assigned random usernames)

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7 Minute Briefing - Resolution and Escalation of Professional Differences 

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7 Minute Briefing - Resolution and Escalation of Professional Differences 

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Your quick reference resource. Download, share and use for your own personal reflection, team meetings and display in staff only spaces !

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7 Minute Briefing - Resolution and Escalation FINAL

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Resolution & Escalation COP Feb 25 Powerpoint

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Event - Practitioner Reflections March 2025

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Event - Practitioner Reflections March 2025

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CoP Resolution Escalation Workshop Workbook Feb 25 - Collated

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What the National Guidance for Child Protection Says about Thresholds

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What the National Guidance for Child Protection Says about Thresholds

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Extract - National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 (updated 2023)

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P&K CPC Practitioners Guide: Resolution and Escalation  

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P&K CPC Practitioners Guide: Resolution and Escalation  

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Please note: this guidance is currently under review and will be updated in Spring 2025.

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P&K CPC Child Protection Inter-Agency Child Protection Guidelines 2023

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P&K CPC Child Protection Inter-Agency Child Protection Guidelines 2023

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Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) is our commitment to provide all children, young people and their families with the right support at the right time. This is so that every child and young person in Scotland can reach their full potential.

We want all children and young people to live in an equal society that enables them to flourish, to be treated with kindness, dignity and respect, and to have their rights upheld at all times.

Our ambition is to work together with children, young people, families, organisations and communities to make Scotland the best place to grow up. Through GIRFEC, everyone in Scotland can work together to build the scaffold of support children and young people need to grow up loved, safe and respected.

GIRFEC provides Scotland with a consistent framework and shared language for promoting, supporting, and safeguarding the wellbeing of children and young people. It is locally embedded and positively embraced by organisations, services and practitioners across Children's Services Planning Partnerships, with a focus on changing culture, systems and practice for the benefit of babies, infants, children, young people and their families.

Actions

We:

Background

GIRFEC timeline

2019: In September 2019, the Deputy First Minister made a commitment to the Scottish Parliament to seek to repeal Parts 4 and 5 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and GIRFEC guidance.

Contact

Email: girfec@gov.scot

Telephone: 0300 244 4000 - Central Enquiry Unit

Post:
GIRFEC Team
Scottish Government
Children and Families Directorate
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ

Twitter: @girfec

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Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC)

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National approach to improving the wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland.

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What conversations are you feeling apprehensive about having? In this bitesize course, we're going to look at what makes a conversation courageous and how you can have successful conversations that make a difference.

Many of us work in the health and care system because we care about people and work to support them when they are having a difficult time. Most of the time we love it and it is hugely rewarding but other times it can be really difficult work.

There's always the pressure of time, resources, and different demands on you. But we also get to work with people at their best and their worst.It is working with people that can often make things hard. Sometimes a courageous conversation is needed but we don't always have them.

Find some time and space with a notebook to work through this reflective guide that will encourage you to feel empowered in facing and holding courageous conversations.

Developed by:
NHS Leadership Academy as part of the upcoming Edward Jenner programme version 3.0

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Courageous Conversations – Leadership Academy

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What conversations are you feeling apprehensive about having? In this bitesize course, we’re going to look at what makes a conversation courageous and how you can have successful conversations that make a difference.

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Difficult Discussions Matter Learning Opportunity 

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Difficult Discussions Matter Learning Opportunity 

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As always we are here to help you with anything in relation to difficult discussions, so if you have any questions or you can’t find what you are looking for, get in touch with either Leigh or Sarah who will be happy to talk to you.

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PDF - Resource Sheet - Responding to and Acting Upon Disclosures 

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PDF - Resource Sheet - Responding to and Acting Upon Disclosures 

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Padlet - Responding to & acting upon Disclosures

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 Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee (CPC) Inter-Agency Child Protection Guidelines 2023

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 Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee (CPC) Inter-Agency Child Protection Guidelines 2023

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These local inter-agency child protection guidelines have been produced to support all practitioners and managers working in all services and agencies in relation to their day-to-day child protection practice.

Page 36 onwards highlights inter-agency guidance when dealing with a disclosure and the processes that may follow.

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Event Media - Adam's Story Childline Film

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Event Media - Adam's Story Childline Film

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TRIGGER WARNING - This 5 minute film depicts physical violence against a child, domestic abuse and parental alcohol use.

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Adam's Story: It Follows Me Around | Childline

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Event Presentation: Child Protection Interviews (Fiona Cochrane, CPDT) November 2024

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Event Presentation: Child Protection Interviews (Fiona Cochrane, CPDT) November 2024

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Event Media - Almondbank House Interview Room Tour - November 2024

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Event Media - Almondbank House Interview Room Tour - November 2024

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Event - Practitioner Reflections November 2024

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Event - Practitioner Reflections November 2024

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bairnshoosescotland.com | Providing children and young people across Scotland with access to trauma-informed recovery, support and justice

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Providing children and young people across Scotlandwith access to trauma-informed recovery, support and justice

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Agencies not equipped to protect children from sexual abuse in family, find safeguarding leaders - Community Care

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Children too often ignored or disbelieved by practitioners who lack the skills and confidence to combat infrafamilial child sexual abuse

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7 minute briefing - Unseen or Hidden Men

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7 minute briefing - Unseen or Hidden Men

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Your quick reference resource. Download, share and use for your own personal reflection, team meetings and display in staff only spaces !

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We want this to be an interactive space for practitioners, so please to leave any comments, questions or resource suggestions about WORKING WITH FATHERS, MALE CARERS & SOCIAL FATHERS in this space and connect with inter-agency colleagues.

Each CoP theme has its own practitioner space within this padlet. Look for the yellow box within each section.

N.B. When posting, please state your name and job role (Padlet guest users are assigned random usernames)

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P&K CPC Practitioners Guide Professional Curiosity

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P&K CPC Practitioners Guide Professional Curiosity

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Practitioner’s Guide - Professional Curiosity - Perth & Kinross Council

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Professional Curiosity is one of the most important approaches that practitioners can use to help them protect unborn babies, babies, children, young people and adults. In this CPC guide, the concept of professional curiosity is explained, barriers to being professionally curious are explored and advice is provided about how practitioners can use this approach to improve their practice with those at risk of harm.

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P&K CPC Guiding Principles - Working inclusively with fathers, male carers and social fathers 

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P&K CPC Guiding Principles - Working inclusively with fathers, male carers and social fathers 

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Guiding Principles - Working inclusively with fathers, male carers and social fathers - Perth & Kinross Council

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These guiding principles have been created by the CPC to support services to ensure that they are working inclusively with fathers, male carers and social fathers. They set out how including fathers, male carers and social fathers from the outset of involvement with children and young people can be beneficial.

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Event - Practitioner Reflections June 2024

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Event - Practitioner Reflections June 2024

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RIP Working Effectively with men in families guide 

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RIP Working Effectively with men in families guide 

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NSPCC Learning from Case Reviews - Unseen Men

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NSPCC Learning from Case Reviews - Unseen Men

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Men can play a vital role in their children's development and wellbeing and have a major influence on the children they care for. However, an analysis of serious case reviews shows that fathers, male caregivers and male partners sometimes go 'unseen' by services involved with children due to:

a lack of professional engagement and curiosity

an over-focus on the quality of care children receive from their mothers

inadequate information sharing between services.

Two main types of unseen men (sometimes referred to as 'hidden' men) have been identified in these case reviews:

men who posed a risk to a child, which resulted in the child suffering serious harm or death

men who could have protected and nurtured the child in their life but were overlooked by professionals.

This briefing is based on learning from a sample of case reviews published since 2020 that highlight the issue of professionals not identifying or assessing key men involved in the care of children who died or suffered harm.

Published: November 2022

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Unseen men: learning from case reviews | NSPCC Learning

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Men can play a vital role in their children's development and wellbeing and have a major influence on the children they care for. However, an analysis of serious case reviews shows that fathers, male caregivers and male partners sometimes go 'unseen' by services involved with children due to: a lack of professional engagement and curiosity an over-focus on the quality of care children receive from their mothers inadequate information sharing between services.

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E-Learning Resource - Professional Curiosity and Challenge

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E-Learning Resource - Professional Curiosity and Challenge

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Website for the P&K Child Protection Committee

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Website for the P&K Child Protection Committee

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Child protection - Perth & Kinross Council

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Access guides and information relating to Child Protection

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7 minute briefing - Professional Curiosity 

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7 minute briefing - Professional Curiosity 

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Your quick reference resource. Download, share and use for your own personal reflection, team meetings and display in staff only spaces !

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Working with Fathers - Key advice from research article

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Working with Fathers - Key advice from research article

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This is the start of an updated research review on Community Care Inform Children, written by Jon Symonds, social work lecturer at Bristol University. The review looks at the issues related to engaging fathers in child protection, some of the barriers that create obstacles in work with fathers, and how to overcome these. Inform Children subscribers can read the full article, and below are some excerpts.

"It is now well established that fathers matter to children's wellbeing. When fathers are positively involved in their children's lives, their children are more likely to do better at school, have better relationships with their peers, have better mental health and are less likely to be in trouble with the police. When social workers work with fathers to improve their involvement with children, they can help to improve outcomes for children."

Fatherhood in context

The position of fathers in children's lives has changed dramatically over the last 50 years. Although most children still live with both their parents, family structures are much more varied. For example, the number of families with dependent children headed by a couple fell from 92% in 1971 to 78% in 2011.

When couples separate, children are more likely to live with their mother. This has implications for children's relationships with their fathers. In 2011, 92% of lone parents were women, compared with 8% who were men.

When parents meet new partners, children tend to have a new 'father figure' to negotiate a relationship with. Results from the General Lifestyle Survey for 2011 found that 85% of step-families with dependent children included children from the mother's previous relationship, whereas only 11% included children from the father's previous relationship. Consequently, children are less likely than in the past to live with their birth fathers, and more likely to live in reconstituted families.

Engaging fathers in child protection services

Studies repeatedly show that child protection work tends to focus on mothers, with fathers having a peripheral presence in case files, child protection conferences and home visits. This has given rise to a series of descriptions of fathers as 'invisible' (Strega et al, 2008); 'ghosts' (Brown et al, 2009), or 'shadows' (Ewart-Boyle et al, 2015). When fathers have perpetrated domestic violence, they may ensure they are not present during home visits, or their involvement in the family might be hidden by mothers for fear of reprisals or of having the children placed in care (Dominelli et al, 2010).

In an audit of six local authorities, Osborn (2014) reported that fathers were invited to child protection conferences only 55% of the time, and in a study of child protection case files, Baynes and Holland (2012) found fathers were contacted by social workers prior to the child protection meeting in only 25 out of 40 files. Interestingly, resident fathers were more likely to be invited, but less likely to attend, whereas non-resident fathers were less likely to be invited, but more likely to attend.

Identifying the father

Engaging with a father requires having information about him. In their study of children's centres in Ireland, Ferguson and Hogan (2004) recommended all referrals should include information about the father. When birth fathers are cohabiting with the mother and child, it is relatively straightforward to achieve this, but practitioners should also be mindful of the importance of identifying fathers when they are not living with the child, as well as identifying new male partners in the household. This requires additional, but important, work by practitioners. In useful government research into engaging fathers in Australia, Sandstrom et al (2015) made specific recommendations about identifying fathers and male carers, including:

being explicit with mothers about the importance of speaking to the father and including him in the process, while also ensuring that she would not be put at risk;

speaking separately to the father rather than gathering information solely through the mother;

arranging separate home visits if necessary to explain the relevance of his involvement with the child, communicating a willingness to include him in decisions.

When the relationship between parents has broken down, mothers may not wish the fathers to be involved, even if he may potentially provide good enough caregiving to the child. Malm et al (2006) conducted a survey in the US and discovered that some practitioners were making additional efforts to identify non-resident fathers of children in foster care by consulting other, official records which might enable them to contact him. Clearly, involving and informing the mother of these actions (and the reasons for doing so) remains an important consideration in these cases which involves sensitive relationship-based work on the part of the social worker. The results of this study were encouraging. When fathers were contacted directly, most fathers were willing to cooperate.

References

Baynes, P and Holland, S (2012)
'Social work with violent men: a child protection file study in an English local authority'
Child Abuse Review, Volume 21, pp53-65

Brown, L; Callahan, M; Strega, S; Walmsley, C and Dominelli, L (2009)
'Manufacturing ghost fathers: the paradox of father presence and absence in child welfare'
Child and Family Social Work, Volume 14, pp25-34

Dominelli, L; Strega, S; Walmsley, C; Callahan, M and Brown, L (2010)
'"Here's my Story": Fathers of 'Looked After' Children Recount their Experiences in the Canadian Child Welfare System'
British Journal of Social Work, Volume 41, pp351-367

Ewart-Boyle, S; Manktelow, R and McColgan, M (2015)
'Social work and the shadow father: lessons for engaging fathers in Northern Ireland'
Child and Family Social Work, Volume 20, pp470-479

Ferguson, H and Hogan, F (2004)
Strengthening Families through Fathers: developing policy and practice in relation to vulnerable fathers and their families
Waterford: The Centre for Social and Family Research

Malm, K; Murray, J and Green, R (2006)
What About the Dads? Child welfare agencies' efforts to identify, locate and involve nonresident fathers
Washington DC: US Department of Health and Human Services

Osborn, M (2014)
'Working with fathers to safeguard children'
Child Abuse and Neglect, Volume 38, pp993-1001

Sandstrom, H; Gearing, M; Peters, H E; Heller, C; Healy, O and Pratt, E (2015)
Approaches to Father Engagement and Fathers' Experiences in Home Visiting Programs
Washington DC: US Department of Health and Human Services

Strega, S; Fleet, C; Brown, L; Dominelli, L; Callahan, M and Walmsley, C (2008)
Connecting father absence and mother blame in child welfare policies and practice
Children and Youth Services Review, Volume 30, pp705-716

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Working with fathers: key advice from research

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This is the start of an updated research review on Community Care Inform Children, written by Jon Symonds, social work lecturer at Bristol University. The review looks at the issues related to engaging fathers in child protection, some of the barriers that create obstacles in work with fathers, and how to overcome these.

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Child Protection Reflective Practice Checklist 

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Child Protection Reflective Practice Checklist 

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Summary of "I wanted them to all notice" Protecting Children and Responding to child sexual abuse within the family environment (CSPRP, 26.11.24)

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Summary of "I wanted them to all notice" Protecting Children and Responding to child sexual abuse within the family environment (CSPRP, 26.11.24)

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The report reveals that safeguarding agencies were not equipped with the skills and support to listen, hear and protect these children from horrific abuse. It recommends the government urgently puts in place a national action plan to protect and support children at risk.

The independent review looked at 136 child safeguarding incidents - the most serious cases of abuse and neglect - and found over 75% of the children sexually abused by a family member were under the age of 12.

The report reveals a system in which children are all too often ignored or disbelieved, do not receive the protection they need and in which the risk posed by adults within the family is frequently misunderstood or minimised. Importantly practitioners from all agencies lack the support, confidence and guidance required to intervene effectively to help and protect children.

Over a third of incidents featured a family member with a known history of sexual offending or who was known to present some risk of sexual harm. This included convicted sex offenders and family members who had been previously prosecuted for sexual abuse, including rape, moving into a home with young children without a strong risk assessment.

In order to combat this, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel is urging the government to develop a national action plan which should include:

Reviewing and updating initial training, early career and ongoing professional development and supervision, so that practitioners can fulfil their roles and responsibilities in identifying and responding to child sexual abuse.

Ensuring that criminal justice and safeguarding agencies work together so there is robust assessment and management of people who present a risk of sexual harm and who have contact with children.

Implementing a national pathway which provides a clear process to support practitioners from when concerns are first identified through to investigation, assessment and the provision of help.

Instructing inspectorates to undertake a "Joint Targeted Area Inspection" focussing on multi-agency responses to child sexual abuse in the family environment.

The findings of the review also highlighted the long-term impact of child sexual abuse on victims. In several of the serious incidents reviewed, children had self-harmed, been diagnosed with depression or had begun misusing substances or alcohol. Seven children tragically took their own lives, and ten children were known to have become pregnant as a result of the sexual abuse, with the youngest being just 11-years-old at the time.

As part of the government's mission to make sure all children have a chance to succeed in life, no matter their background, there must be support for children who have been sexually abused by a family member so they can recover and thrive. The recently announced reforms in the government's paper 'Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive' are an important step in the right direction, but it is vital that the findings and recommendations from this national review are all taken forward within the government's reform strategy.

To help victims and survivors, their families, or professionals find support, the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (CSA Centre) has created a directory containing over 350 child sexual abuse support services in England and Wales. The Support Services Directory is a simple way to find services that can help: https://www.csacentre.org.uk/find-a-support-service

Panel Chair, Annie Hudson said:

The voices and experiences of the 193 children at the heart of this report make very plain that too often we fail to identify and act to protect children from sexual abuse in their families.

In recent years, very necessary attention has rightly been given to the sexual abuse of children in public institutions, by strangers on the internet and by 'high profile' individuals. The uncomfortable truth is that very many children are sexually abused by someone they know well and in their own home. This report seeks to shine a light on the many barriers to giving children the help and protection they need when they are abused within their families.

We need to build a more child-centred system that recognises the barriers preventing children from speaking about abuse and where all agencies can act confidently and sensitively to safeguard children.

The government's recent policy paper outlines a swathe of reforms to children's social care, including plans to implement the Panel's previous recommendation for multi-agency child protection teams. The establishment of such teams will provide a strong basis for securing some the crucial improvements identified in this report, including timely sharing of information, and a more sensitive and coherent response to children who are sexually abused in their families.

The systemic issues identified in this report are long-standing. It is vital therefore that government integrates the findings from this review into their reform programme and provides strong leadership to deliver a robust strategy to address its stark reality of child sexual abuse in the family environment.

Ian Dean, Director of the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (commissioned to undertake the review) said:

Children need help to tell, and it's vital that all professionals are given the knowledge and skills to notice when something is wrong, and the confidence to talk directly to children and families about concerns of sexual abuse.

Despite a wealth of wider training, most practitioners working with children across social work, policing, education and health won't even get a single day of training focused on child sexual abuse before qualifying. This review shows that this is clearly failing to properly equip the workforce to identify concerns and respond to protect children from sexual abuse.

These recommendations set out practical solutions that will help all those working with children feel empowered to act quickly and confidently in response to sexual abuse, and to ensure that children and families are listened to and supported throughout investigations and beyond.

As part of the government's ten-year commitment to halving violence against women and girls, we need strong national leadership to put tackling sexual abuse of children firmly on the agenda and these recommendations drive the way for real, lasting, systemic change for children.

Notes to editors

The independent national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel

The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel is an independent body that was set up in July 2018 to identify, commission and oversee reviews of serious child safeguarding cases. It brings together experts from social care, policing, health, education and the third sector to provide a multi-agency view on cases which they believe raise issues that are complex, or of national importance.

The national review analysed 136 serious child safeguarding incidents, and 41 related serious case reviews (SCRs) and local child safeguarding practice reviews (LCSPRs). Over a quarter of reviews (26%) described sexual abuse of multiple children and featured abuse by more than one person. Therefore, the analysis covered a total of 193 children who had been sexually abused and 167 people who had sexually abused children.

The Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (CSA Centre)

The CSA Centre is hosted by Barnardo's and primarily funded by the Home Office. They aim to reduce the impact of child sexual abuse through improved prevention and better response. Working closely with key partners from academic institutions, local authorities, health, education, police and the voluntary sector they believe that to tackle child sexual abuse we need to better understand its causes, scope, scale and impact. Find out more: www.csacentre.org.uk

Child sexual abuse in a family environment

While there is no single agreed definition of child sexual abuse within the family environment it is broadly understood as sexual abuse by a relative, for example, a parent, stepparent, sibling or grandparent, or those closely linked to the family, for example a foster carer or a parent's partner.

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Safeguarding experts demand national action plan to tackle child sexual abuse

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A national child safeguarding practice review has investigated the experiences of 193 children who were sexually abused by a family member.

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NSPCC No one noticed, no one heard. A study of disclosures of childhood abuse 2013

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NSPCC No one noticed, no one heard. A study of disclosures of childhood abuse 2013

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A study of disclosures of childhood abuse

This report describes the childhood experiences of abuse of young men and women and how they disclosed this abuse and sought help.

Researchers interviewed 60 young adults (aged 18-24 years) who had experienced high levels of different types of abuse and violence during childhood. The young adults were asked whether they had tried to tell anyone about what was happening to them, and what had happened as a result of their disclosures. Although much research suggests that few children disclose sexual abuse, in this study over 80% had tried to tell someone about the abuse.

Authors: Debbie Allnock and Pam Miller
Published: 2013

Key findings

Over 80% of the children tried to tell someone about the abuse.

On average, it took 7 years for the young people to disclose sexual abuse. The younger the child was when the sexual abuse started, the longer it took for them to disclose.

There are a number of different ways that a child may try to let someone know what is happening to them. Disclosure - especially at the time of abuse - is rarely a straightforward process of just saying they have been abused.

Many disclosures were either not recognised or understood, or they were dismissed, played down or ignored; this meant that no action was taken to protect or support the young person.

The young people disclosed for a variety of reasons including: not being able to cope with the abuse any longer; abuse getting worse; wanting to protect others from abuse; or seeking justice.

Reasons for not disclosing included: having no one to turn to; not understanding they were being abused; being ashamed or embarrassed; being afraid of the consequences of speaking out.

Disclosing abuse is a difficult journey and 90% of the young people had had negative experiences at some point, mostly where the people they told had responded poorly.

Positive experiences of disclosures were when: the child was believed, some action was taken to protect the child, and emotional support was provided.

The young people said they wanted: someone to notice that something was wrong; they wanted to be asked direct questions; they wanted professionals to investigate sensitively but thoroughly; and they wanted to be kept informed about what was happening.

Citation

Please cite as: Allnock, D. and Miller, P. (2013) No one noticed, no one heard: a study of disclosures of childhood abuse. London: NSPCC.

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No one noticed, no one heard | NSPCC Learning

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This report describes the childhood experiences of abuse of young men and women and how they disclosed this abuse and sought help. Researchers interviewed 60 young adults (aged 18-24 years) who had experienced high levels of different types of abuse and violence during childhood.

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IRISS Insights 38: Good Practice with Fathers 

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IRISS Insights 38: Good Practice with Fathers 

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Key points

Society expects and gets more from fathers today

The contribution that fathers can make to the lives of children and families is substantial

Mothers continue to be the focus of children and family services

Fathers' involvement could be better encouraged

A growing body of practice offers many ways to encourage father involvement

Introduction: changing fathers, changing expectations

How we think about and understand fathering has changed. Active 'fathering' is now an accepted role for men at home and fathers are visible outside the school gates, in parks and playgrounds and in the streets and shopping centres. Fathers' involvement in child care increased from less than 15 minutes a day in the mid-1970s to three hours a day during the week by the late 1990s, with more at the weekend. This trend of increasing involvement has continued (O'Brien, 2016). Expectations have also shifted. In 2009, 29 per cent of parents believed that childcare was the primary responsibility of the mother (Ellison, Barker and Kulasuriya, 2009) and the belief that fathers are expected, and want, to do more has remained strong (Zvara, Schoppe-Sullivan and Dush, 2013). In Scotland, fathers' involvement compares well with other countries of the UK. In their analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study information, Kelly and colleagues (2014) revealed that Scottish fathers are as likely to be at the birth of their babies as any other father in the UK. Jones and Smith (2008) also show that within the UK, more Scottish fathers wish to spend more time with their children. They go on to show that Scottish fathers are more likely to read to their children and get them ready for bed 'several times a week'; play outdoors and indoors with their children; and look after their children on their own. It should be noted, however, that while there has been a certain degree of convergence of childcare and domestic work - with men now doing more in the home and with their children - women still spend considerably more time on domestic work and childcare than men: 16 hours per week for men and 26 hours per week for women (ONS, 2016). This, of course, is one of the many reasons to encourage greater father involvement.

Changes in UK law, for example, parental responsibility for fathers named on their children's birth certificates whether married or not, are another indicator of shifting expectations that reflect an emerging emphasis on the importance of children's relationships with biological and social fathers (Trinder and Lamb, 2005). In 2014, an Inquiry by the Equal Opportunities Committee took extensive evidence, revealing the failure of services to keep pace with changing societal expectations of fathers. It called for the Scottish Government and all agencies to take greater steps to actively include fathers in their policies and practices, recognising 'that 'parent' is often taken to mean 'mother'' (Scottish Parliament, 2014, p9).

Efforts to introduce shared parental leave also indicate greater expectations of fathers (Working Families, 2017) as do the various workplace initiatives springing up to help new fathers in the workplace such as Fathers Network Scotland.

The benefits of positive father involvement

With few exceptions, father involvement is positive for child wellbeing and family functioning.

In terms of the positive impacts of fathers:

A considerable knowledge base has built up that reveals the overall protective and positive effect of father involvement on offspring social, educational, behavioral, and psychological outcomes - throughout infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood. (Panter-Brick, 2014, p1188)

The following round-up is offered as just a flavour of the 'dad effect'.

The pre-school and school years

Young children whose fathers read to them come on in leaps and bounds in their early years (Duursma, 2014). 'School readiness' is associated with high levels of paternal sensitivity (Fatherhood Institute, 2010). Fathers' involvement with their children is linked with their higher educational achievement (Jeynes, 2015) and higher mobility relative to their parents (Sarkadi and colleagues, 2008). Fathers' (higher) commitment to their child's education and their involvement with schools are also associated with children's better behaviour at school, including reduced risk of suspension or expulsion (Goldman, 2005). Conversely, and controlling for other factors, absent fatherhood has been shown to negatively affect children, for example, by contributing to difficulties with peer relationships including bullying (Parke and colleagues, 2004). In discussing fathers whose circumstances prevent full involvement, Jethwani and colleagues (2014) conclude that regardless of residency, custodial status or socio-economic status, many fathers are ready, willing and able to make a positive impact in their children's educational lives.

Teenage years

Early childhood play with a father contributes to teenagers' sense of self-worth and there are links between a father's involvement at the age of seven and lower levels of later police contact as reported by the mothers and teachers (Lewis and Lamb, 2007). The converse has also been found to be true in that paternal psychopathology, evidenced in antisocial behaviour, substance misuse, and depression, has demonstrable negative impacts on child and adolescent functioning (Phares and colleagues, 2010). Teenagers who feel they matter to their father or stepfather typically have significantly better mental health (Suh and colleagues, 2016). Parental discord affects teenagers significantly and this means that a 'whole family' approach (i.e. get dad in) to any adolescent problems is essential, rather than a sole focus on the mother (Parkes and colleagues, 2017).

Later lives

High levels of father involvement at ages 7 and 11 have been found to protect against experience of homelessness in the adult sons of manual workers (Flouri, 2005). Father and adolescent reports of their closeness at age 16 correlates with avoidance of depression and marital satisfaction at age 33 (Flouri and Buchanan, 2002). Meanwhile, Blanden (2006) has found that low father involvement, for example, in education, reduces the child's chances of escaping poverty when they grow up.

Risk

Where risk from a father's behaviour is suggested or evidenced, this has to be acknowledged and assessed, and the safety of any arrangement for all ensured. Services have tended to consider him as 'beyond the pale' once contact has ceased (Maxwell and colleagues, 2012), however, such a father needs to be engaged with in the interests of the child who needs a thorough understanding of him, and any future children with whom he may be involved.

Fathers' involvement and mothers

Neglect or abuse is still overwhelmingly regarded as a failure of mothering. Therefore, the mother bears the unfair burden of investigation and responsibility. In relation to youth offending, Page and colleagues (2008, p7) found that: '...parenting orders and parenting contracts tended to be applied to mothers much more frequently than fathers' and father attendance at court was not sought.

In their study of fathers and child protection, Ferguson and Hogan found that:

Involved fatherhood benefits mothers as well as children. In general, the mothers we interviewed wanted the men to be actively involved fathers and felt that intervention work had developed the men's capacities to nurture and take domestic responsibility. Mothers felt that intervention brought considerable benefits to themselves, by helping to produce men who shared parenting, and were physically and emotionally available to them. (2004, p153)

It is no coincidence then that higher father involvement is linked with lower parenting stress and depression in mothers (Fisher and colleagues, 2006).

Fathers themselves

In their study of young Scottish fathers, Ross and colleagues found that during the pregnancy, most men described feeling excited, proud and happy. Only a few expressed regret. For many of the young men in the study, the pregnancy was either planned or was readily accepted as cementing an already strong relationship with their partner (2010).

Beyond the early flush of paternity there can be many benefits to men when their identities are expanded to embrace fatherhood:

Positive changes from parent education have been recorded in fathers' (including young and imprisoned fathers) communication skills, sensitivity to babies' cues, parenting attitudes, knowledge of child development, acceptance of the child, confidence, satisfaction and self-efficacy as parents; self-perception and self-esteem; parenting stress; positive emotionality towards their children; and commitment to parenting. (Fatherhood Institute, 2009, p4)

Many men whose lives are bedevilled by drug or alcohol abuse, or for one reason or another see no future for themselves, can be given fresh hope when they are asked to step up to fatherhood. Re-offending can be avoided (Meek, 2011). Wordsworth's thoughts are to the point in his poem, Michael (1800): 'A child more than all other gifts that earth can offer to a declining man, brings hope with it and forward looking thoughts.' For all these reasons fathers should be included more than they are at present by family services.

How and where are fathers overlooked?

Workers in children and family services have tended to view mothers as the ones with the responsibility for children.

Health

A South Lanarkshire survey quotes one man, who, on taking his child for immunisation, was asked 'Where is mum today?' (Community Learning and Development across South Lanarkshire, 2016, p21). Bunting (2005) found that while health visitors estimated the needs of both teenage mothers and their partners as high, they would generally expect the young mothers' parenting capacity to be average to good, and the young fathers' parenting capacity to be poor, and impute any decreases in couple/paternal contact to negative characteristics in the fathers. These assumptions were made despite health visitors knowing very little about the young fathers. They were ill-equipped to offer them support and were not aware of any support they might be receiving, or of services that might be able to help them.

In a recent study of men's transition to parenthood, Kowlessar and colleagues conclude that 'Despite increasing public awareness and socio-political changes affecting paternal parenting culture, fathers still seem to feel undervalued and unsupported when it comes to antenatal support' (2015, p14). Elsewhere, Humphries and Nolan find that '...there is little evidence that the importance of engaging fathers is reflected in Health Visitor training or that primary care services are wholly embracing father-inclusive practice' (2015, p1). Fathers as 'bystanders' remains a recurrent theme.

Education

Nurseries, playgroups and other pre-school facilities remain mother-facing. This is evident in publicity shots where there is an absence of men. It's also evident in reception areas that (inadvertently) give off the message that men are not expected, eg in choice of reading materials, colour schemes, adverts for cake-baking and other fundraising events such as slimming challenges (Clapton, 2016). Poor pay and cultural expectations that early childcare is not appropriate employment for men, ensures that male workers are rare and also mitigates against a more 'fathers welcome' ethos. Here the Scottish Government's aspirations for a more gender-equal, early years workforce should be acknowledged (Scottish Government, 2017).

There have been varying levels of success in improving parental involvement in schools (Ofsted, 2010). Some useful work has been done in the south of Scotland involving parent support workers. Based in schools and active in the local community, these workers have shown that small steps such as organising day outings can bring in fathers (Cooper, 2011). School reading cafés where parents can meet informally and engage with school staff have also been shown to overcome obstacles to fathers' participation, although timing can often prevent fathers from coming to such events (Fatherhood Institute, 2010). Crozier and Davies (2007) suggest that the personality of primary school teachers can have a negative or positive impact on parental involvement; those who were 'outgoing and friendly' and seen to be reaching out, drew in the fathers (O'Keefe, 2014).

Given that fathers will often either cede responsibility to mothers or have been made to believe the parent-school contact equals mother-school contact, involving fathers in schools can seem an uphill struggle. A starting point is the assumption that fathers will wish to contribute to their children's education (see Fatherhood Institute, 2010).

Social work

Page and colleagues (2008, p89) in their review of UK services for fathers undertaken on behalf of the Department of Children, Schools and Families, found that:

...'traditional' views of fathers remained prevalent among the workforce. This was seen to have led some staff to hold negative attitudes towards males as less able or willing carers of young children (particularly in Sure Start Children's Centres and safeguarding and looked after children).

Roskill found that there was no information recorded about fathers in 20% of the cases in her study of child protection (2011). The figure was higher at 31% for the fathers of children who were in care. Dominelli and colleagues have researched the attitudes of child protection workers in Canada over a number of years and observe that while 'the child protection gaze remains firmly fixed on the mother' (Strega and colleagues, 2008, p706), they have concluded that 'social workers do not completely trust fathers to care for children' (Dominelli and colleagues, 2011, p364). In the words of Brown and colleagues (2009, p29), child protection services remain 'founded on the notion that it is the central task of social workers to break the cycle of child maltreatment by successfully teaching mothers how to do their job properly, or removing children from a home where that is impossible'. Clapton provides a detailed discussion of fathers and child protection and points to the consequences of overlooking fathers (2013). One of these consequences is costs. In an important contribution relating to care proceedings, Bellamy concludes his study of paternal involvement and public care: 'The identified relationship between the involvement of a noncustodial parent, most often a biological father, and a reduction in the likelihood that children are placed into out-of-home care is a unique finding' (2009, p260). Billions of pounds are spent every year by local authority social services (Hirsch, 2006). It is likely that these costs could be substantially reduced if fathers and paternal relatives were more systematically involved in child care and protection cases.

The idea of fathers as a potential resource has been slow to catch on in social services yet 'When fathers are located and identified as a resource, there are incremental increases over time in fathers' involvement in case planning and the fathers' extended family involvement in case planning' (English and colleagues, 2009, p233). Alternative approaches to including parents in child protection processes have been effective in including fathers. In a Scottish survey of fathers' involvement in Family Group Conferences (FGC), one father is quoted:

"At social work meetings, you feel that every move is being watched. It's a waste of time speaking because nobody listens. In a meeting room with suits and ties, you feel undermined, people looking over their glasses at you. You do feel judged."

Ross goes on to contrast this with the FGC: 'At the FGC we had more freedom to speak, we didn't feel the same stress.' He also remarks that 'one FGC could do more than 20 meetings in a clinical environment' (Ross, 2006, p18).

Fathers: all shapes and sizes

Fathers come in all shapes and sizes, however, there are categories of fathers that deserve greater attention and have specific needs if they are to play a positive part in the lives of their families. These include young fathers who are often stereotyped as being especially irresponsible and uncaring (Lammy, 2013). Non-resident fathers are liable to be excluded during assessments for services and interventions. Fathers in prison are often young fathers. Research suggests that in Polmont Young Offenders Institution, one man in three is a father (Donnelly and colleagues, 2010). Around eight per cent of single parents are lone fathers (Gingerbread 2012). Other categories have their own set of special needs and challenges, such as gay or minority ethnic fathers. There are also fathers who hurt others, their children and the mothers of their children. Chapter five of Assessing and working with risk with fathers (Clapton, 2013) offers a thorough discussion of fathers that maltreat their children and partners, and the other categories.

What's worked to 'bring in' fathers

Having high expectations. The earlier fathers can be engaged the better. Registration, enrolment or referral processes should record both parents' details. Whether a father is resident or not, services which insist on referrals with information about the father have higher levels of father engagement. Equally, efforts to ensure the father's name is on the birth certificate is a strong predictor of continuing future involvement in the child's life. This is especially important for young unmarried fathers who may feel excluded.

Gender-differentiation is often necessary. If you want to involve all parents then fathers might need to be targeted specifically.

Considering the timing of any meetings or other services to enable the attendance of fathers who are at work.

Communicating with both parents as standard practice. As often as possible, letters and other forms of communication should be addressed 'dear mother and father'. When fathers read the word 'parent' they regularly assume that the letter is intended for the mother. Bear in mind that fathers may be more likely to participate in events badged as briefings or updates, rather than 'support groups'.

Inviting dads personally to specific hands-on activities. Schools that do this through breakfast clubs, for example, have found that fathers will come. Nurseries have successfully reached out by asking for help on specific projects such as building a Wendy House.

Making it easier for men to come into the building. Receptions and waiting rooms and their respective reading materials and posters should avoid sending messages that men are not expected in these places.

Understanding that fathers are the real experts on their own support needs; often advocacy work across a range of areas that benefits the whole man. For example, help with housing, finding employment, and debt, helps boost trust and reduces any feelings of suspicion he may have.

Arguably 'men like facts.' Helping a father see the 'evidence' of a problem such as sharing information and assessment results may encourage him to take part in services.

For fathers of children involved in child protection processes, working with non-statutory agencies can provide alternative locations for provision and facilitate engagement with fathers who might be unwilling to engage with local authority services.

Being prepared to hang in there with fathers; male ego and pride can get in the way of asking for help.

Mothers' encouragement can be crucial. A children's needs approach rather than a fathers' rights one is more likely to be effective. Whether a father is absent, absents himself or is absented, a child will continue to have a mental space marked 'father' and will fill this with demonization or a fantasy. Workers should ask about the father, and wherever possible, include him in future plans, as well as understand that whoever he is, knowing and knowing of him, is a crucial part of a child's development.

In conclusion, it is worth reinforcing that what we know about fathers, and the benefits of involving them more systematically, is fast developing. I hope that this evidence summary helps practitioners contribute to this.

References

Bellamy J (2009) A national study of male involvement among families in contact with the child welfare system. Child Maltreatment, 14, 3, 255-262

Blanden J (2006) 'Bucking the trend': what enables those who are disadvantaged in childhood to succeed later in life? Norwich: Department for Work and Pensions

Brandon M, Bailey S, Belderson P et al (2009) Understanding Serious Case Reviews and their impact: a biennial analysis of Serious Case Reviews 2005-07. Norwich: University of East Anglia

Brown L, Callahan M, Strega S et al (2009) Manufacturing ghost fathers: the paradox of father presence and absence in child welfare. Child & Family Social Work, 14, 1, 25-34

Bunting L (2005) Teenage parenting: professional and personal perspectives. Thesis (Ph.D.). Belfast: School of Social Work, Queen's University

Clapton G (2016) Where's dad too? Edinburgh: Fathers Network Scotland

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Cooper J (2011) Loose change. (MSc.) Dundee: University of Dundee.

Dominelli L, Strega S, Callahan M et al (2005) Endangered children: the state as failed parent and grandparent. British Journal of Social Work, 35, 7, 1123-1144

Dominelli L, Strega S, Walmsley C et al (2011) 'Here's my story': fathers of 'looked after' children recount their experiences in the Canadian child welfare system. British Journal of Social Work, 41, 2, 351-367

Donnelly P, Williams D, Boyle P et al (2010) Youth male violence in Scotland: understanding antecedents, reducing recidivism, and tackling health inequalities. St Andrews: University of St Andrews

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Acknowledgements

This Insight was reviewed by Helen Allbutt (NHS Education for Scotland), Malcolm Hill (University of Strathclyde), Neil Macleod (Scottish Social Services Council), Fiona Robertson (Community Learning and Home School Partnership, South Lanarkshire Council) and colleagues from Scottish Government. Comments represent the views of reviewers and do not necessarily represent those of their organisations. Iriss would like to thank the reviewers for taking the time to reflect and comment on this publication.

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Good practice with fathers in children and family services

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Society expects and gets more from fathers today The contribution that fathers can make to the lives of children and families is substantial Mothers continue to be the focus of children and family services Fathers' involvement could be better encouraged A growing body of practice offers many ways to encourage father involvement How we think about and understand fathering has changed.

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Note: The term 'children' in this document refers generally to individuals under 18 years of age.

Key messages

Children's disclosures of sexual abuse vary in the mode of communication, intent, spontaneity and amount of detail that is included. Disclosure is best understood as a process which is influenced by relationships and interactions with others and may extend over a considerable period of time.

Rates of verbal disclosure are low at the time that abuse occurs in childhood. However, children say they are trying to disclose their abuse when they show signs or act in ways that they hope adults will notice and react to. This is particularly important for disabled children.

Professionals need to keep in mind that any child could be attempting to disclose, but certain children may face additional barriers to disclosure because of their disability, gender, ethnicity and/or sexual orientation.

The act of disclosing sexual abuse can heighten shame and guilt. Others' negative reactions to disclosures may compound these impacts. This should not stop professionals from providing opportunities to children to disclose, but it is essential that children and their families receive appropriate support following disclosure.

A range of complex and interacting individual, relational and social barriers may prevent children from disclosing abuse, to professionals or anyone else.

Teachers are the professionals to whom children will most commonly disclose, but the disclosure process can be helped or hindered by the way in which any professional engages with a child about whom concerns exist.

Children want to be noticed by friendly, approachable and caring professionals, with whom they have built a trusted relationship. They want to be asked how they are doing and what is going on, so they have an opportunity to have an open dialogue.

Confidentiality is important to children, but can be difficult to balance with professionals' safeguarding responsibilities. Professionals may experience a tension around this in their relationship with the child. If maintaining confidentiality after a disclosure may not be possible, it is important to be open, honest and transparent with the child.

What do we mean by disclosure?

The term 'disclosure' is open to different interpretations across professional contexts. Here, disclosure is broadly defined as 'one person conveying their experience to another'. Children convey these experiences in many different ways.

Disclosure of child sexual abuse (CSA) is best understood as a 'process' which is influenced by the characteristics and qualities of relationships in children's lives, and may evolve over an extended period of time. Although there is a growing body of UK research into children's disclosures that draws on their voices, there has been little research into professionals' experiences in recognising and receiving disclosures.

Disclosures of abuse occur within, and are facilitated by, relationships that children have with others. When responding to disclosures, it is critical to understand the different ways in which children disclose according to four overlapping factors: mode of communication, intent, spontaneity and detail.

Mode of communication

Some children communicate their abuse directly through verbal means, while others do so indirectly (e.g. "I don't want to go to grandpa's house any more"), or they may use terminology that the perpetrator has used (e.g. talking about 'secrets' or 'games') or adult language that is not appropriate for their stage of development.

Non-verbal means of expression include letter-writing, drawing pictures or playing with dolls. Younger children may appear clingy or display temper tantrums, while older children and adolescents may withdraw, self-harm, exhibit anger, avoidance and run away. Even positive behaviours such as 'being good' can be a sign that children want to be noticed.

Disabled children may be more likely than others to exhibit behaviours as signs, particularly where they are unable to communicate verbally with adults. It is important that these behaviours are understood, and not simply attributed to the child's impairment.

Intent

Some children disclose abuse purposefully - to stop abuse from occurring, to seek emotional support, or to protect siblings or other children who they worry may be at risk. Others may 'want to tell' but equally 'do not want to tell', one consequence of which may be an unwilling disclosure.

Disclosures can be unintentional, where children feel forced, coerced or pushed into a disclosure following third-party witness to the abuse, discovery of evidence or prompts from others to understand what might be behind the child's behaviour.

Where disclosure is non-verbal, the child's behaviour may be intentional, to convey a message that something is wrong. Even if behavioural signs are unintentional, they may signal that something is wrong, and professionals should recognise and respond to this.

False allegations are rare, but where they do occur, they are usually the result of undue influence by a third party or unsuitable questioning styles.

Spontaneity

Some disclosures are 'spontaneous', following the child's recognition, over time, that abuse has occurred. Disclosure may be triggered by a lesson in school, a TV programme or an escalation of the abuse, or may be made accidentally. Disclosures may build over time until a child cannot contain the secret any more - a 'pressure cooker effect'.

Alternatively, disclosure may not be spontaneous at all, occurring only when prompted during, for example, a medical examination, an investigative interview or a therapeutic session - or simply when a teacher or health professional notices something may be wrong and asks.

Detail

The detail provided within a disclosure may be vague or absent. The nature of disclosure as a process means that some disclosures are partial; more detail may or may not emerge over time. And detail will be entirely missing when disclosure is communicated through behaviours or other signals.

Who discloses child sexual abuse?

Studies have found considerable variation in rates of disclosure of CSA, depending on the sample and the way that disclosure is measured. In a recent study, non-verbal attempts to communicate abuse were not reported in a survey, but were described by young people in follow-up interviews. In studies of Scandinavian adolescents, between 79% and 83% who had experienced CSA said they had spoken to someone about it, while a review of 13 international studies found that 31% to 45% of adults with histories of CSA had talked about their abuse to an adult soon afterwards or during their childhood.

Girls who experience CSA are more likely than boys to tell someone about their abuse during childhood.

The evidence is more mixed when considering ethnicity. While unique barriers to CSA disclosure by children from some black and minority ethnic backgrounds exist, it is unknown whether this translates into lower disclosure rates.

Disabled children are less likely than other children to disclose their abuse; this has been found to be the case across a range of disabilities.

There is no available evidence on disclosure rates among lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer/questioning children. We know little about disclosure rates among children in varied contexts, such as children in care or in institutions.

What are the impacts of disclosure?

Disclosure can be traumatic and have short- and long-term effects on children's emotional wellbeing. This does not mean that professionals should not provide children with the opportunity to disclose, but it does mean that children, and their families, will need support through the process.

Some children report feeling 'relief' and 'pride' after disclosing. However, children also report feeling embarrassment, anger and sadness. Some describe their life "falling to pieces" after disclosing sexual abuse, and say that "things get worse before they get better". Disclosure can lead to heightened feelings of shame and guilt, both of which are important emotional processes in the development of CSA-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD has been found to be heightened particularly where there are negative reactions to the disclosure by others. Adolescents appear more susceptible to longer-term problems such as depression and low self-esteem following abuse becoming known.

Family members may struggle to understand and respond appropriately to disclosures, particularly where abuse has been carried out by someone within or close to the family. Negative reactions by others to disclosure are harmful to children's wellbeing and may deter them from making further disclosures. Professionals should consider appropriate support for children, and their families, in the immediate period following disclosure.

Withdrawals of disclosure may occur even where there is corroborative evidence. Studies of cases involving substantiated CSA have reported withdrawal rates of well below 10%, although one study - focusing on substantiated cases where disclosure could result in the child's removal from the family home - found that 23% of disclosures were withdrawn. Withdrawal of disclosures is more common in younger children, where non-abusing parents/carers are unsupportive or where the perpetrator is a close family member.

Disclosures can also affect the wellbeing of professionals. Some professionals state they rarely feel or express emotion during a disclosure, as their focused attention is on the child, and they manage the emotional impact outside the workplace. Professionals have indicated their concern about conveying an appropriate level of emotion to a child who is disclosing, noting the importance of controlling their own facial expression when reassuring a child.

The disclosure journey

Many children do not verbally disclose CSA until well into adulthood. Non-disclosure and delayed disclosure must be understood in the context of the significant challenges that children face in seeking help following sexual abuse. Children's disclosures are influenced by developmental and emotional challenges, by relationships and by wider community and social norms and practices.

Disclosure in informal, everyday settings

A child's disclosure experience in informal, everyday contexts, such as the home and community, influences the way they will engage with and disclose to professionals they encounter. For instance, children who have disclosed to a family member or friend are more likely to disclose to professionals within forensic interview settings.

Children may not disclose if they do not understand abuse, or if the abuse is normalised in everyday contexts. Children also report that fear of not being believed stops them from disclosing to family members at the time when abuse is occurring. Coercive tactics used by a perpetrator to silence a child can inhibit disclosure, as can the nature of the relationship between the child and the perpetrator. Children are less likely to disclose if they expect negative reactions from family members, and they worry about disrupting the family with disclosures, particularly if the family is experiencing multiple adversities.

In some communities, fears around preserving family and/or community honour, oppressive norms related to child obedience, respect for elders and taboos around sex and sexuality all deter children from disclosing. Recognition of children's fears about others' reactions to disclosure may prevent professionals from informing parents that a referral to children's services has been made - but informing parents following such a referral is an important step in helping them to access help, and can help reduce tension in the home that may arise from a referral being made.

When children decide to disclose, they most commonly turn to family or friends before reporting to professionals. Mothers are the most common familial disclosure recipients. However, other family members, family friends and neighbours may receive disclosures. Younger children are more likely to confide in a parent or family member, while adolescents are more likely to confide in a friend or peer; friends play a significant role in recognising when their peers are struggling, and in receiving disclosures of CSA. For professionals, understanding children's trusted networks within and outside the family home is important in understanding prior disclosure experiences and developing strategies for supporting them.

Disclosure in universal settings

Professionals in universal settings such as health and education are well placed to identify children who are experiencing - or have experienced - abuse and may be trying to communicate this. Teachers are the professionals to whom children most commonly make initial disclosures.

Children have described mixed experiences of disclosure to teachers, which highlight key practice messages for all practitioners. Children want teachers to notice signs such as self-harm; eating disorders; acting out in class; school attendance; and being alone and withdrawn at school. Professionals and children both highlight the importance of a trusted relationship between a child and a reliable professional which provides the child with the opportunity to disclose. Both 'noticing' and 'opportunity' emphasise that disclosure is relationally dependent and emerges through open dialogue. Children may require significant periods of time to build the trusted relationship that supports disclosure, particularly if they have had previous negative experiences of interacting with authority figures. Professionals can experience a tension between going at a child's pace and responding to safeguarding protocol.

Confidentiality is also important to children who worry about losing control over their information. Professionals have highlighted the challenges of balancing confidentiality with safeguarding responsibilities. Sharing information too early may jeopardise a child's sense of trust, but not acting on information risks further abuse to the child as well as a failure to comply with organisational safeguarding procedures. Professionals stress the importance of being open, honest and transparent if maintaining confidentiality may not be possible following a disclosure.

Children want to be kept informed about what will happen next. Professionals recognise the importance of taking the time to clearly explain what might happen next, but face difficulty when protective action needs to be taken against the child's wishes. In such cases, trust can be rebuilt by involving children in conversations about what action needs to be taken, why and when. Issues of confidentiality and keeping children informed will be relevant to all professionals working with children, including those working in the child protection and criminal justice systems.

Disclosure in formal child protection settings

Children are least likely to disclose CSA to professionals working in the child protection system. Such professionals are more likely to receive reports of abuse following reporting by others, by discovery of evidence or through an investigation.

An initial disclosure to police is also unlikely, because children may not believe the abuse is a crime; they do not believe the police will keep them safe; they feel they will not be believed; or they are afraid of being blamed, getting in trouble or getting the perpetrator in trouble. Regardless of how or why police come into contact with children, the initial contact is central in building a child's confidence and may support disclosures. Children want police to act with sensitivity and respect, not judge them, positively engage in making decisions, and keep them informed.

Children are unlikely to disclose to social workers because they may fear what will happen when social workers become involved and worry that social workers will judge them. Children want social workers to show an active interest in them, even when visiting for other reasons; to understand the nature of their problems and behaviours; to be impartial when assessing the home environment; to talk to them separately from other family members; and to ask the right questions, which will help provide a pathway for them to disclose abuse.

Professionals stress the importance of counteracting negative perceptions of police and social care, recommending that those working with children appear friendly, approachable and caring. They recognise that many children need to feel believed when they disclose. On the other hand, their responses must be in line with safeguarding policies, which may include guidance on ensuring that the disclosure is not influenced by their work or actions. Professionals feel that it is important to accept a child's account and feelings without judgement, and that focusing on what the young person is communicating - particularly paying attention using positive body language and listening skills - is critical to creating a supportive environment for disclosures to happen. They highlight a need to try to not act surprised or shocked at what the child says.

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Identifying and responding to disclosures of child sexual abuse | CSA Centre

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Note: The term 'children' in this document refers generally to individuals under 18 years of age. Children's disclosures of sexual abuse vary in the mode of communication, intent, spontaneity and amount of detail that is included. Disclosure is best understood as a process which is influenced by relationships and interactions with others and may extend over a considerable period of time.

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Fathers Network Scotland / Lìonra nan Athraichean

2021 Survey

Dads, we need to hear from you! As we live through a 2nd national lockdown we are doing a follow up, completely anonymous survey to find out how things have changed for you and your family. Have your voice heard and help us speak up for dads across Scotland here.

Our Call to Action

We are campaigning for the better inclusion of dads within perinatal mental health services. Fathers Network Scotland's research over many years is clear: fathers often feel excluded from perinatal services, and perinatal services still tell us that they're not sure how to get dads involved. ​ Despite the evidence, paternal perinatal mental health-focused work has not yet been specifically supported or prioritised within the three-year investment into third sector Perinatal and Infant Mental Health work. Here is our call to action and a summary of recommendations.

2020 Survey

Each year Fathers Network Scotland asks families in Scotland about how they're doing. During 2020 we have been living through interesting and often challenging times, so this year we asked dads about their lives during lockdown. You can find our survey results here.

Understanding Dad

We're working with schools to encourage more father-inclusive practices, so that fathers are able to get as involved as possible in their children's school lives. We're encouraging employers to offer equal parental leave opportunities to both new mums and dads. We're promoting flexible working to allow fathers to take time to immerse themselves in family life without experiencing negativity in the workplace. We're working with services so that they can become as dad-friendly as possible, and with criminal justice professionals to consider fatherhood within their work.

Our Covid-19 Response

FNS's work is continuing across Scotland as we respond to increased demand for our support. In response, our projects & team continue to use a variety of innovative methods to maintain contact with our network offering support and resources.

We are offering online training, a dads' WhatsApp group, a free SMS support service for new parents, a Facebook group and DADx series of talks for dads' and families' workers, along with our directory and sign posting services. We have also developed a new resource for perinatal health professionals to support new dads through lockdown. Find out more here.

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Dads, we need to hear from you! As we live through a 2nd national lockdown we are doing a follow up, completely anonymous survey to find out how things have changed for you and your family. Have your voice heard and help us speak up for dads across Scotland here.

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Media - Bitesize Guide Waltham Forrest Council  

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Media - Bitesize Guide Waltham Forrest Council  

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IRISS Insight 34: Social Workers Communication with Children and Young People 

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IRISS Insight 34: Social Workers Communication with Children and Young People 

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Lessons from Research - Caregiving by parents with learning disabilities 

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Lessons from Research - Caregiving by parents with learning disabilities 

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Should the definition of neglect be changed to remove the requirement for neglect to be persistent and the reference to it resulting in serious impairment?

By Layla Harding

Parents with learning disabilities are disproportionately represented in care proceedings and child removal statistics. However, research consistently shows that caregiving capacity is shaped by context, experience and access to support, rather than learning disability alone.

Parents with learning disabilities often experience high levels of professional scrutiny, which can increase anxiety, influence behaviour during assessments and distort professional judgments. Recognising these dynamics is essential for fair, child-focused decision-making.

My doctoral research explored attachment and caregiving patterns in families where parents have learning disabilities, using qualitative methods to capture lived experience.

Attachment and caregiving in one family

A detailed family case study included a caregiving interview with Chelsea, a mother with learning disabilities, and attachment assessments with her three children.

Chelsea's parenting was shaped by a combination of childhood trauma, domestic abuse in adulthood, learning disabilities and the pressures of single parenthood.

Despite these challenges, she consistently demonstrated concern for her children's wellbeing. However, she sometimes struggled to maintain consistent parental authority, tending towards a permissive or accommodating style during periods of stress.

This appeared linked to her own history of vulnerability, trauma, and hypervigilance. Chelsea's early experiences of neglect, abuse and disrupted caregiving likely affected her models of relationships and her ability to maintain stable boundaries under stress. Her later experiences of domestic violence may also have contributed to heightened threat sensitivity and emotional overwhelm.

Together, these factors help explain patterns of inconsistency, withdrawal or reduced boundary-setting when she becomes overwhelmed.

The children's attachment behaviours appeared organised around protecting their mother and managing her perceived emotional vulnerability. The sibling group often adopted caregiving or supervisory roles, both in interaction and narrative tasks, including managing each other's behaviour and focusing stories on their concern for ensuring their mother's safety and wellbeing. This suggested a focus on her emotional state alongside reduced emphasis on their own needs.

There were also signals of blurred relational boundaries and role confusion, with children showing concern for adult emotional states and assuming responsibility for protection within the family. This was accompanied by heightened anxiety about separation and safety, including fears of being apart from each other and from their mother, as well as increased vigilance towards perceived external threats.

Learning from mothers with learning disabilities

Caregiving interviews with four mothers with learning disabilities identified several shared themes:

1. Adverse childhood experiences and corrective parenting intentions: all four mothers described childhoods marked by neglect or abuse. These experiences were linked to strong motivations to parent differently, providing nurturing care and breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma. This aligns with research indicating elevated rates of childhood maltreatment among adults with learning disabilities (Sullivan & Knutson, 2000; Wright, 2013).

2. Vulnerability in intimate relationships: mothers reported experiences of domestic abuse in adult relationships, which impacted on emotional wellbeing and parenting responses. This reflects evidence that women with learning disabilities face increased risk of intimate partner violence and exploitation (Cleaver & Nicholson, 2007; James, 2004).

3. Perceived surveillance and external judgment: a dominant theme was the experience of parenting under professional and societal scrutiny. Mothers described feeling constantly evaluated, which influenced how they presented themselves, often adopting formal or "professionalised" language and emphasising positive aspects of parenting. This suggests internalised surveillance and anticipatory anxiety about judgement.

4. Idealisation of children and minimisation of difficulties: mothers tended to describe their children in idealised terms, focusing on strengths while offering limited detail about day-to-day challenges. Difficulties in caregiving were often minimised or underreported.

5. Avoiding reflection on emotional states: some mothers found it difficult to reflect on their children's emotional needs or interpret underlying feelings. In some cases, they relied on rehearsed or externalised professional language, which may have obscured more personal reflection and emotional engagement.

6. Concrete and task-focused representations of caregiving: caregiving was often described in practical, task-oriented terms rather than emotional or relational language. Parenting was framed around routines and responsibilities, with less emphasis on emotional attunement. This may reflect differences in reflective functioning as well as the influence of assessment systems that prioritise observable behaviours

Practice lessons for social workers

Contextualise parenting risk: parenting risk must be understood in context. Learning disability alone does not indicate incapacity. Social workers should consider trauma history, poverty, housing instability and systemic disadvantage. For example, inconsistent routines may reflect financial stress rather than neglect. Contextual understanding supports proportionate, fair interventions.

Recognise strengths and motivation: parents with learning disabilities often show strong motivation to provide better care than they experienced themselves. A strengths-based approach helps build confidence, reduce anxiety and improve engagement in assessments and interventions.

Observe parent-child interaction: observation of everyday interactions (play, meals, routines) is essential. Some parents may struggle to articulate emotional needs verbally or rely on formal language. Direct observation often provides a more accurate understanding of attachment and caregiving.

Provide adapted support and assessing with support in place: assessments should be accessible, using visual aids, repetition, modelling and structured guidance. Importantly, parenting capacity should be assessed with appropriate support in place, ensuring evaluations reflect real-world functioning rather than unsupported performance.

Interpret children's behaviour systemically: children's behaviours should be understood within their relational and environmental context. Protective or caregiving behaviours may represent adaptation rather than dysfunction. A multi-setting view (home, school, wider networks) supports more accurate assessment.

Practise in a collaborative and holistic way: effective practice requires collaboration between adults' and children's services, as difficulties often stem from unmet adult needs, such as mental health issues, domestic abuse or housing instability. Holistic assessment, early intervention, reasonable adjustments and joint planning are essential.

Balancing safeguarding responsibilities with fairness

Parents with learning disabilities' caregiving is shaped by experience, trauma and support systems rather than inherent limitation.

Social workers must balance safeguarding responsibilities with fairness and contextual understanding, recognising how surveillance systems, disadvantage and trauma histories influence parenting behaviour and professional interpretation.

Applying the principles of contextualised risk assessment, strengths-based practice, careful observation, adapted support, supported assessment and multi-agency collaboration enables more accurate and proportionate decision making.

This approach reduces unnecessary child removals, strengthens family support and improves outcomes for children and parents alike, contributing to a more equitable and effective child welfare system.
Dr Layla Harding is a clinical psychologist who works with children and families. This article summarises her doctoral thesis, Attachment and Caregiving in the Context of Parental Learning Disabilities (Royal Holloway University 2022-2025), for which she was supervised by Dr Kate Theodore, Dr Benedict Grey and Dr Steve Farnfield
References

Cleaver H & Nicholson D (2007) Parental Learning Disability and Children's Needs: Family Experiences and Effective Practice, London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

James H (2004) 'Promoting effective working with parents with learning disabilities', Child Abuse Review, 13(1), 31-41

Sullivan PM & Knutson JF (2000) 'Maltreatment and disabilities: A population-based epidemiological study', Child Abuse and Neglect, 24(10) 1257-1273

Wright S (2013) 'How do we prevent another Winterbourne? A literature review', Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities

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Attachment and caregiving by parents with learning disabilities: lessons from research - Community Care

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Trauma and disadvantage often shape caregiving by parents with learning disabilities, writes psychologist Layla Harding

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P&K Family Support Practitioner's Network 

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Media - Responding to a Child's Disclosure Animation NSPCC

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Media - Responding to a Child's Disclosure Animation NSPCC

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Responding to a Child's Disclosure of Abuse | NSPCC Learning

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Slides from the Community of Practice on Assessment and Analysis

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Slides from the Community of Practice on Assessment and Analysis

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Please find attached all slides from the presenters today. Please note, these slides should not be reproduced without the permission of the presenters.

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2026.03.31 Cop Assessment & Analysis Presentations

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Media - Siobhan McLean Professional Curiosity 

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Media - Siobhan McLean Professional Curiosity 

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Resources that can support learning on sexual health and relationships (Central Sexual Health)

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Resources that can support learning on sexual health and relationships (Central Sexual Health)

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By improving the skills, knowledge and understanding around sexual health & relationships, we can help children, young people and adults with learning disabilities to have safe, happy and healthy relationships, a better understanding of the Law and their human rights and to know where to get help if required.

Resources that can help to support learning.

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ASN & Learning Disabilities – Central Sexual Health

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By improving the skills, knowledge and understanding around sexual health & relationships, we can help children, young people and adults with learning disabilities to have safe, happy and healthy relationships, a better understanding of the Law and their human rights and to know where to get help if required.

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Padlet - Responding to & acting upon Disclosures

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Practitioner Network Space  - Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Young People with Disabilities 

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Practitioner Network Space  - Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Young People with Disabilities 

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We want this to be an interactive space for practitioners, so please to leave any comments, questions or resource suggestions about Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Young People with Disabilities in this space and connect with inter-agency colleagues.

Each CoP theme has its own practitioner space within this padlet. Look for the yellow box within each section.

N.B. When posting, please state your name and job role (Padlet guest users are assigned random usernames)

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Journal Article - Victimisation of Children with Disabilities 

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Journal Article - Victimisation of Children with Disabilities 

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Abstract: Children with disabilities are more likely to be victims of child abuse but may have more difficulty than their typically developing (TD) peers reporting their experiences. In this study, the authors examined the characteristics of abuse reported by CWDs based on forensic statements made by 40430 alleged abuse victims, 11% categorized as children with minor disabilities, and 1.2% categorized as children with severe disabilities. Proportionally more of the CWDs than of the TD children were allegedly victims of sexual rather than physical abuse. CWDs failed to disclose abuse and delayed disclosure more often than TD suspected victims. CWDs were more likely than TD children to be abused by parent figures and to experience physical abuse resulting in body injury or serious sexual offenses, including those involving penetration, repeated abuse, use of force, and threats. Higher levels of disability were associated with increased risk of sexual abuse. Both the heightened incidence of severe abuse among and the failure to disclose abuse by CWDs should be sources of considerable concern to social welfare and criminal justice agencies.

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Please feel free to download and print this poster to display in your workspaces.

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Practitioner Network Space - Disclosures 

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Practitioner Network Space - Disclosures 

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We want this to be an interactive space for practitioners, so please to leave any comments, questions or resource suggestions about DISCLOSURES in this space and connect with inter-agency colleagues.

Each CoP theme has its own practitioner space within this padlet. Look for the yellow box within each section.

N.B. When posting, please state your name and job role (Padlet guest users are assigned random usernames)

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GTCS Codes of Professionalism and Conduct

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GTCS Codes of Professionalism and Conduct

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Document > Code of Professionalism and Conduct