SEND and Safeguarding: Why Disabled Children Face Greater Risk and What the 2024 Data Shows

The evidence: Children with disabilities are 3.4 times more likely to experience abuse than non-disabled children (NSPCC, 2024). Despite this elevated risk, they are significantly under-represented in child protection statistics — suggesting systematic under-identification rather than lower prevalence. They are also 29% more likely to be bullied at school than their peers (DfE, 2023).

The Scale of the Problem: 2024 Data

3.4×

more likely to experience abuse (NSPCC 2024)

1.6M

pupils in England with SEND (DfE 2024)

29%

of SEND pupils report being bullied (DfE 2023)

~30%

of children on child protection plans have a disability or SEND (DfE 2024)

50%+

of CSPRs (serious case reviews) involve a child with SEND (NSPCC 2023)

72%

of disabled children's abuse goes unreported — NSPCC estimate

Why SEND Children Face Greater Risk

The elevated risk is not inherent to disability itself — it arises from the intersection of individual vulnerability factors and systemic failures to recognise and respond to abuse. Key factors include:

Communication barriers: Children who are non-verbal, have limited vocabulary or rely on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) may struggle to describe abuse. Their disclosures may be dismissed as "behavioural" or misunderstood.
Dependency on multiple carers: Children with complex needs often require intimate personal care from multiple adults, increasing both opportunity and risk. They may not have a clear concept of appropriate and inappropriate touch.
Reduced social networks: Isolation from peers reduces the likelihood of natural disclosure and reduces the number of trusted adults who might notice indicators.
Diagnostic overshadowing: Signs of abuse — changes in behaviour, regression, self-harm — are often attributed to the child's disability rather than investigated as potential indicators of harm.
Institutional settings: Children in residential special schools or respite care have additional exposure risk, particularly where safeguarding oversight of the setting is insufficient.

Statutory Duties for Schools Working with SEND Pupils

Under KCSIE 2024 and the SEND Code of Practice 2015, schools must:

Ensure that safeguarding procedures are accessible to all pupils, regardless of communication needs. This may require SEND-specific adaptations — visual formats, easy read, symbol-supported communication.
Ensure that the DSL (and any deputies) have specific training and awareness of how disability intersects with safeguarding risk.
Include SEND-specific risk factors in every safeguarding concern assessment — never attribute behavioural change automatically to the child's diagnosis.
Involve the SENCO in safeguarding discussions where the child has an EHCP or significant SEN need.
Ensure personalised care plans explicitly reference safeguarding — particularly where intimate care is involved.

Enabling Disclosure: Communication Adaptations

For Non-Verbal / Minimally Verbal Pupils

• Use PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) or symbol boards that include "safe" and "unsafe" concepts
• Yes/no question formats with physical responses (head nod, eye gaze)
• Involve the child's SaLT (Speech and Language Therapist) in any investigative interview planning
• Contact police for an intermediary for formal ABE interviews

For Pupils with Learning Disabilities

• Use simple, concrete language — avoid abstract concepts
• Allow longer response time; do not fill silences
• Easy-read versions of the school's "how to report" materials
• Ensure the child knows they will be believed and not punished for disclosing

Sources: NSPCC (2024). Disabled children and abuse. nspcc.org.uk. | DfE (2024). Special educational needs in England: January 2024. gov.uk. | DfE (2023). Preventing and tackling bullying. gov.uk. | DfE (2024). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. gov.uk. | DfE / DH (2015). Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years. gov.uk. | NSPCC (2023). Child safeguarding practice reviews: Learning from case reviews. nspcc.org.uk. | Children's Commissioner (2023). SEND: Old issues, new issues, next steps. childrenscommissioner.gov.uk.