Page 52 - Getting it Right for Vulnerable Children and Young People in North Ayrshire

Recent research in Scotland (Stalker at al 2010) suggested that, inter alia, standard child protection procedures are not always applied to disabled children, many professionals lack the skills / confidence to communicate with disabled children, different agencies have varying views about acceptable thresholds for parental treatment of disabled children, and there is a need for better collaboration between staff working in 25 child protection and children’s disability teams’ Key messages for practice • Local services need to ensure that systems for collecting information about disabled children are sufficiently robust. • Assessments for disabled children need to include the ability and capacity of parents/carers to cope with their demands. • When responding to concerns about a disabled child, expertise in child protection and disability should be brought together. • Local guidance should set out processes and available support and be sensitive to the particular needs of disabled children during the conduct of child protection investigations. • Local services need to provide training for those involved in child protection work on the particular vulnerability of disabled children. • Specialist advice should be sought at an early stage to help inform decision-making. • Local services should consider the development of transition plans that reflect the complexity of transition from child to adult services. In 2010 the Scottish Commissioner for Children and Young People completed a national consultation with children and young people and acknowledged the considerable progress that had been achieved to include disabled children, however there still were areas for improvement. Many parents and siblings demonstrate tremendous resilience and develop a range of effective coping strategies which helps them to respond to the challenges they encounter. “Contact a Family” is the leading UK charity working with families of all disabled children. In recent research “what makes my family stronger”, they highlighted the barriers families indicated that prevented them from leading ordinary lives. The key message is that the needs of children must be seen within an empowered family context. Further Guidance Charter for Scotland’s Disabled Children, fSDC: www.fsdc.org.uk/assets/files/fsdc- charter.pdf National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland Guidance for Health Professionals In Scotland (2010) 25 National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland Guidance for Health Professionals In Scotland (2010) Getting It Right For Vulnerable Children and Young People in North Ayrshire DRAFT V1.1 March 2014 Page No:52