Working with children and families

Children with disability

Children with disability are at higher risk of experiencing abuse and neglect, and practitioners need to hold the same standards and concerns for children with disability as for other children.

Children with disability have all the rights of any other child. Particular attention may need to be made to upholding the rights of a child with disability to express their views and be heard. They have the right to be provided with age and ability-appropriate assistance so they can participate fully in decision-making, as noted in Article Seven of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is also a requirement under the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992 to make reasonable adjustments for individuals with disability.

Some children with disability may also experience other forms of discrimination, such as racism or sexism. These experiences are important to understand as it may increase risk to the child, impact on their wellbeing and on their ability to access services.

Caring for a child with disability can have an impact on the family. In taking a holistic view of the family, services and supports should be identified for carers of children with disability as part of responding to the wellbeing of the child.

The information kit ‘Finding a Way’ seeks to address the barriers existing in the protection of children with an intellectual disability against the harm of sexual abuse. This project is the outcome of a partnership between Rosie's Place and the NSW Health Education Centre Against Violence.

Children with disability should not be defined by their disability. When working with children with disability, make sure you take time to get to know them – what they enjoy, what matters to them, how they see the world. Look to understand their disability and the impact it has on their lives, and make sure you are able to communicate with them in a way they understand. See below for communication tips.

Parents with disability

All parents experience challenges, although parents with disability are more likely than the general population to experience a range of barriers. Some of the biggest challenges they face can be overcoming stigma, assumptions and labels about their disability.

Just like any other family you work with, the children of parents with disability need you to understand any risk in the context of their own unique circumstances, not the labels they have been given. Supportive relationships outside the home and involvement in the wider community can lower risks and improve outcomes for children of parents with disability and the parents themselves.

When reporting and responding to safety and wellbeing concerns for children with a parent who has a disability, it is important that we:

• adopt a strengths based approach and
• provide reasonable adjustments to meet the individual needs of the parent. This is to enable them to participate as much as possible and do not further compound the barriers and judgements faced by the family.

When working with parents with disability, communicating in a way that makes sense to them, is a way of providing reasonable adjustments and enabling the parent to participate in the conversation. This may include use of easy to read information and simple language. It is helpful if you check that the parent clearly understands the reason for your involvement. The rights of parents with disability are upheld in Article 23 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Children may also be carers of parents or siblings with disability and this may have a significant impact on their life, their peer relationships, school outcomes and mental health. It’s important to be aware of the caring duties children may be performing where there is a person with a disability in the family.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) oversees funding for supports and services for children and adults with disability. NDIS contact points in NSW can be found on the NDIS website. It is important for practitioners to be informed about the NDIS and how children and families can be supported to access the scheme.

Agencies that work with children and parents with disability need to have the required skills, training and support. Additional resources to support your work with children and parents with disability include:

• First Peoples Disability Network Australia
• Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association
• Australian Indigenous Health InfoNet
• Intellectual Disability Rights Service
• Carers NSW
• ASPECT
• People With Disability Australia

Communicating effectively with children and adults with disability

There are a number of organisations that have developed simple resources to support communication with people with disability. These include the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, the Queensland Government and the NSW Department of Education National Disability Coordination Officer Program.

The Raising Children Network have a ‘Children with disability: guide to disability’ resource kit, which provides specific information about disabilities impacting children. There are also videos highlighting the experiences of real families. The Australian Association for Children with a Disability also has a range of resources to support families with children with disability.

If you are working with a child or family member with disability it is important to seek specialist consultation to support your practice and communication. The NDIS website has a list of partner agencies in NSW who provide assessment services to families and children with disability.

Some other tips for communication with children with disability include:

• Look and speak directly to the child, even if they have a caregiver or support person present
• If you have difficulty understanding, ask them to repeat or show you, or point. Never pretend to understand if you do not.
• Find out what communication methods they use - including any forms of alternative communication
• Listen to children, no matter how they communicate their thoughts, views and concerns. This might mean spending time with a child who is not verbal and observing their ability to interact and communicate.
• Ask the child or the people that know them best how they prefer to participate. What environment is best to meet them in? How do they prefer to communicate? Who is best placed to support them during conversations?
• Use tools and visual aids - be mindful of any barriers to reading and/or writing.
• Allow extra time for conversations. Be flexible - if one approach does not work, be prepared to try something different.

Videos

Talk to me - this video is about children’s desire to be spoken to regardless of their abilities.

The story Best friends highlights engagement strategies practitioners can use when working with a parent with disability.

The Disability Discrimination Act aims to protect people with disability against discrimination and unfair treatment.