Introduction

The sexual abuse of children and young people with disabilities has been highlighted in high profile cases such as Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children Board's Serious Case Review (Griffiths 2013) and investigations into the sexual abuse perpetrated by Jimmy Savile. This chapter will explore the differences between a medical and a social model of disability to support application of these models to children with learning disabilities who experience, or are at risk of, child sexual exploitation (CSE). The chapter will include an overview of how disability intersects with abuse in general and CSE in particular. In addition, the chapter will draw upon evidence-based learning to consider how theory-informed services can identify children with learning disabilities affected by CSE and implement accessible services that deliver preventative and responsive practice to meet their needs.

Child abuse and disability

Children with disabilities are more likely to be abused than their non-disabled peers. A meta-analysis of 17 studies of violence against disabled children representing over 18,000 individuals (Jones et al 2012) illustrates that this group are between three and four times more likely to experience violence than non-disabled children with one study estimating that as many as 15 per cent of children with learning disabilities experience sexual violence. A 2012 review of literature (Stalker and McArthur) identified that children with communication needs, learning disabilities, behavioural disorders and sensory impairments are more likely to experience higher levels of neglect and violence. Miller and Brown (2014) highlight how those children at greatest risk of abuse are those with behaviour/conduct conditions but that other high-risk groups include those with learning difficulties/disabilities, children with health-related conditions, deaf children and those with speech and language difficulties. There is some evidence that the abuse of disabled children differs to the abuse of their peers, starting at an earlier age (Sullivan and Knutson 2000) with boys disproportionately represented among abused disabled children (Sullivan and Knutson 2000; Kvam 2004). The quality and quantity of information about the abuse and protection of disabled children in the UK has been highlighted as being poor (Cooke and Stanton 2002). The NSPCC note that little has been known about the experiences of children with disabilities in the child protection system (Miller and Brown 2014).