A Systematic Review of UK Social Work Practice in Safeguarding Disabled Children and Young People

Disabled children have an increased risk of experiencing abuse, but we know that this group do not always receive the best child protection service. Often their abuse goes unnoticed and/or support is not put in place to better protect them, or help them to recover from abuse. This systematic review synthesised existing UK evidence so that we can learn what works best to protect and support disabled children and young people who are at risk of, or who have experienced, abuse. This study focused on research which had sought the views of disabled children and young people, parents/carers and practitioners. We wanted to explore;

1.Why are disabled children and young people at greater risk of harm?

2.What responses and interventions are available to disabled children and young people?

3.What are the outcomes for disabled children and young people who have experienced abuse from the perspectives of disabled children/young people, parents/carers and practitioners?

4.What are the training and skills development needs of the workforce to effectively support disabled children?

The study is funded by What Works for Children's Social Care/Department for Education.