Children with additional needs (including complex needs and disabilities)
Abuse and neglect can happen to any child. But research shows that some children who have experienced abuse and/or neglect share similar risk factors which may increase their vulnerability. Having one or more of these risk factors doesn’t automatically mean a child will experience abuse or neglect – and not having any of them doesn’t guarantee that a child will never be harmed. Understanding risk and vulnerability factors, and their individual and combined impact on children’s lives, can help professionals identify which families may need extra support. (NSPCC)
Factors that may increase vulnerability to neglect:
- Children who have additional needs and disabilities.
- Children who are living in a chaotic or dysfunctional household (including parental substance use, domestic abuse, parental mental health issues, parental criminality).
- Children living in families who have specific or extreme ideological or religious beliefs.
- Children who have previously been abused or neglected (intrafamilial child sexual abuse).
- Children in families who are homeless or living in temporary accommodation.
- Children who are young carers.
- Infants under one.
- Adolescents.
Impact of neglect
For all children, the impact of neglect can be multi-faceted, and can be short term such as illness, or behaviour change, to long term, affecting a child’s long term holistic outcomes such as: health and wellbeing, educational outcomes, social abilities, opportunities, and their own aspirations in life. Children who have experienced neglect are more likely to experience:
- Poorer mental health including depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.
- Poorer emotional and social development.
- Poorer physical development.
- Difficulties with relationships and attachments.
- An increased likelihood of risk-taking behaviour such as running away from home, abusing drugs or alcohol, breaking the law and becoming involved in unhealthy and/or abusive relationships.
With thanks to Southampton Safeguarding Children Partnership for permission to adapt their Neglect Toolkit for children with additional needs.
