Disabled children have an increased risk of experiencing abuse, however this often goes unnoticed. There is also not the support in place to better protect them or help with recovery after experiencing abuse. This systematic review aims to synthesise existing qualitative UK evidence to support evidence informed planning and development of more appropriate, targeted, and cost-effective interventions for disabled children and their families. It also aims to produce a better understanding of the complexity of safeguarding concerns and improved understanding of how and why key issues disproportionately affect disabled children.
The findings of this review suggest that disabled children and young people are at greater risk of harm as a result of often being invisible to services and a lack of service provisions, as well as disablist and discriminatory attitudes towards children and young people. Multiple policy and practice recommendations were developed from the evidence review to improve the safeguarding of disabled children and young people.
