Disability-inclusive Child Safeguarding Guidelines

GlossaryChildrefers to every human being beloweighteen years.3Ableismis the unfair treatment, discrimination andsocial prejudice of persons with disabilities.Ableism is rooted in the assumption andbelief that persons with disabilities areinferior to persons without disabilities.Accessibilityensures that persons with disabilitiesaccess, on an equal basis with others,the physical environment, transportation,information and communications,including information and communicationstechnologies and systems, and otherfacilities and services open or provided tothe public, both in urban and in rural areas.1Accessibility takes into consideration theremoval of barriers for everyone and is notbased on individual requests but insteadmakes the environment, information andtechnology accessible for all people.Accessible informationis information that is receivable,understandable and user-friendly topersons with disabilities.Assentis the expression of willingnessor agreement to participate, shareinformation or have one’s informationshared in part or in full even when the legalage of consent has yet to be attained.Best interests of a childis the primary consideration in all decisionsand actions that affect children.2 It is aprinciple used to determine what will bebest for a child in a particular circumstance.10Child abuseconsists of all forms of physical or mentalviolence, injury, neglect or negligenttreatment, maltreatment or exploitation,including sexual abuse.4Child protectionis the systems, measures and structuresto prevent and respond to abuse, neglect,exploitation and violence affecting childrenin their families and communities.5Child protection systemsare the collection of interlinkingelements or components in society(at family, community, subnationaland national levels) that are organisedaround the common goal of preventing,responding to and mitigating theeffects of violence, abuse, neglect andexploitation of children.6Child Safeguardingis a set of policies, procedures andpractices which mitigate and manage riskto ensure no child is harmed in the courseof delivering organisational programmes oractivities, and for effectively reporting andresponding if harm does occur.Communicationrefers to the way a person understands andis understood by others.Communications supportrefers to support that is needed to enableeffective, accurate dialogue betweenindividuals or groups of people.Concernrefers to a feeling or worry that a child oradult may be at risk of harm or may havebeen harmed, by the organisation’s staff,associates, programmes or operations.7Disability inclusionis the process that ensures that allpersons with disabilities enjoy their fulland fundmental rights and freedoms tofully and effectively participate with andwithing their families, communities, andsocieties without barriers and on an equalbasis as those without disabilities.Disability-inclusivechild safeguardingrefers to child safeguarding systems thatare effective for children with disabilities.Discrimination on thebasis of disabilitymeans any distinction, exclusion orrestriction on the basis of disability whichhas the purpose or effect of impairing ornullifying the recognition, enjoyment orexercise, on an equal basis with others,of all human rights and fundamentalfreedoms in the political, economic, social,cultural, civil or any other field. It includesall forms of discrimination, direct andindirect, including denial of reasonableaccommodation.8Do no harmis to prevent or mitigate exposingpersons of concern to additional risksthrough one’s actions.9 This principle isto ensure actors understand the contextin which they are working, understandthe interaction between the interventionand the context, and act upon thatunderstanding to avoid negative impactsand maximise positive impacts.10Functioningrelates to a biopsychosocial model ofdisability, which is based on both thesocial and medical model of disability,and recognises that the interactionbetween a person’s conditions,environmental factors, and personalfactors will determine an individual’sability to perform.11Harmis the result of the exploitation, violence,abuse and neglect of children. Harmcan take many forms, including impactson children’s physical, emotional andbehavioural development, their generalhealth, their family and social relationships,their self-esteem, their educationalattainment, and their aspirations.12Impairmentis any loss or abnormality of apsychological, physiological or anatomicalstructure or function.13Incidents reportsare relevant information about a childsafeguarding concern that have beengathered and corroborated. These reportsprovide a detailed description of theevents based on all available informationgathered (including all interviewees,direct observations, and on-site activities,written documentation and other means)and indicate which child safeguardingprovisions were breached, if any. It shouldbe an overall assessment summarisingthe events, the action(s) taken, themain conclusions regarding the allegedviolations and any recommendationsfor action.1411

Informed consentis the free and voluntary act of givingpermission to participate, shareinformation or have one’s informationshared. To fully consent, a child, andwhere applicable, their parents or legalguardian(s), have to clearly comprehendall the relevant facts, details of theinformation enquired, expectations oftheir involvement, their right to withdrawfrom participation whenever theychoose, and their right not be coerced bycircumstances or individuals (includingparents or legal guardians).Intersectionalityin this context, explains how multipleforms of discrimination – based ongender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, disabilityand class, etc. – overlap and interactwith one another to shape how differentindividuals and groups experiencediscrimination.15Languageincludes spoken languages, signed andother forms of non-spoken languages.16Mainstreamingensures issues are an integral partof relevant strategies of sustainabledevelopment.Practitionerfor the purpose of these guidelines,refers to any person involved withthe work of the organisation or anyindividual who interacts with or cares forchildren as a result of an organisation’swork. This can include organisationalleaders, project staff, communicationsstaff, social workers, teachers, caseworkers, community mobilisers, advisors,volunteers, enumerators or in some cases,parents, caregivers, mentors, etc.Prevalenceis a statistical concept referring to thenumber of cases present in a particularpopulation at a given time.Reasonable accommodationmeans necessary and appropriatemodification and adjustments notimposing a disproportionate or undueburden, where needed in a particular case,to ensure to persons with disabilitiesthe enjoyment or exercise on an equalbasis with others of all human rights andfundamental freedoms.17Sexual exploitationis any sexual act, attempt to obtain asexual act, unwanted sexual comments oradvances, or acts to traffic, or otherwisedirected, against a person’s sexualityusing coercion by any person regardlessof their relationship to the victim, in anysetting, including but not limited to homeand work.20Survivor-centred approachis an approach that seeks to empowerthe survivor by prioritising their rights,requirements and wishes and ensuringthat survivors have access to appropriate,accessible and good quality services.21Universal designis the design of products, environments,programmes and services to be usableby all people, to the greatest extentpossible, without the need for adaptationor specialised design. Universal designshould not exclude assistive devicesfor particular groups of persons withdisabilities where this is needed.24Youthiiis a period of transition from thedependence of childhood to adulthood’sindependence. For statistical purposes,the UN defines “youth” as the 15–24-yearold age group.25Survivor-ledis an approach that acknowledges thatsurvivors are more than their experienceof sexual exploitation, abuse andharassment. Rather, they are experts ableto inform and lead change.22 A survivor-ledapproach is a key aspect of an overarchingsurvivor-centred approach, which seeksto meaningfully consider a survivor’spreference when determining bestinterests of an individual in a particularcircumstance.23means any actual or attempted abuse of aposition of vulnerability, differential power,or trust, for sexual purposes, including, butnot limited to, profiting monetarily, sociallyor politically from the sexual exploitationof another.18Sexual harassmentmeans any form of unwanted verbal,non-verbal, or physical conduct of asexual nature with the purpose or effectof violating the dignity of a person, inparticular when creating an intimidating,hostile, degrading, humiliating oroffensive environment.1912Sexual violenceii The CRC does not define “sexual violence”,but includes “sexual abuse” in its definitionof “violence” in Article 1940 and specificallyaddresses protection from sexual exploitationand sexual abuse in Article 34ii In Rwanda, youth is defined as a personbetween 16 and 30 which means when wedescribe ‘youth’ that have been consulted aspart of the development of these guidelinesindividuals will be within this age range.13

CBRCommunity-basedrehabilitationCHSCore HumanitarianStandardDFID(now FCDO)EUFCDO(formerlyknown asDFID)GDPRIASCI/NNGOMEALOHCHR14Department forInternationalDevelopmentEuropean UnionForeign, Commonwealth& Development OfficeOPDsPPEPersonal protectiveequipmentPSGParent Support GroupRECUReach, enter, circulateand useSEAHSexual exploitation,abuse and harassmentSDGsSustainableDevelopment GoalsUNUN WomenGeneral DataProtection RegulationInter-Agency StandingCommitteeInternational or nationalnon-governmentalorganisationMonitoring, evaluation,accountability andlearningUnited Nations Office ofthe High Commissionerfor Human RightsOrganisationsof persons withdisabilitiesUNCRCUnited NationsThe United NationsEntity for Gender Equalityand the Empowermentof WomenUnited NationsConvention on theRights of the ChildUNCRPDUnited Nations Conventionon the Rights of Personswith DisabilitiesUNESCOUnited NationsEducational, Scientificand Cultural OrganizationWASHWater, sanitationand hygieneWHOWorld Health Organization Able Child Africa / Max BwireAbbreviations15

1. An overview ofthe guidelinesChild safeguarding is a set of policies,procedures and practices which mitigateand manage risk to ensure no childis harmed in the course of deliveringorganisational programmes or activities,and for effectively reporting andresponding if harm does occur.Disability-inclusive childsafeguarding means thatthis approach, as applied byorganisations, is equally effectivefor keeping children with disabilitiessafe as it is in keeping childrenwithout disabilities safe.In recent years, development andhumanitarian actors have deepened theirunderstanding of risk and have developeda more nuanced understanding of howto protect the people they work with.The result has been a renewed effort toimprove and strengthen child safeguardingapproaches.At the same time, the inclusion andempowerment of children, youth and adultswith disabilities is now widely accepted asbest practice for mainstream programming.This is based on a recognition that thesegroups are some of the most disadvantagedand that a disability-inclusive society is abenefit to all.26However, an increase in disabilitymainstreaming poses additional risks forchildren with disabilities who are beingincluded in programmes that do noteffectively safeguard them, which is likelyto cause them harm.16As such, there is a need to addressshortfalls in many organisations’ ability tosafeguard children with disabilities and todesign effective disability-inclusive childsafeguarding practices that address thespecific risks and barriers children withdisabilities experience.These guidelines, developed by Able ChildAfrica and Save the Children International,seek to address this gap and providepractical advice for organisations andpractitioners to ensure all children aresafeguarded.1.1 Who theguidelines are forThese guidelines are for internationaldevelopment and humanitarian actorsworking with children, or representativesof organisations of persons withdisabilities (OPDs) working indevelopment and humanitarian contexts.The guidelines are written to ensurerelevance for disability-focusedorganisations and the disabilitymovement, who may have strong systemsfor disability inclusion but are in theinception phase or improving their childsafeguarding systems. They also haverelevance for child rights organisationsor development and humanitarianactors who may already have robustchild safeguarding systems but are onlybeginning to mainstream disability intheir work.The guidelines can be used by staffinvolved in organisational and programmelevel planning, including senior leadership,mid-level managers, or individuals whoseroles are specific to child safeguardingsuch as safeguarding managers, advisersand leaders.They are also intended for frontline staffactive in the project cycle, including projectcoordinators, consultants and volunteers.Therefore, the guidelines are relevant toall readers, but some chapters will beparticularly relevant for certain roles.1.2 What theguidelines includeThese guidelines aim to provide practicalguidance on how to ensure that workcarried out by organisations is safe forchildren with disabilities.They are not intended to replace broaderchild safeguarding guidelines or existingorganisational safeguarding procedures.Instead, they aim to complementexisting thinking and provide tangiblerecommendations for disability-inclusivechild safeguarding that can be integratedinto existing systems or serve as guidancefor setting up inclusive systems fromthe start.iiiThe guidelines are not intended asspecialist advice to be used only bydisability experts. Instead, they areintended to contribute to the widerconversations on improving childsafeguarding systems and practicesand to offer practical solutions for safeprogramme implementation.These guidelines also recognise thatdisability-inclusive child safeguardingwill benefit all children as they take intoconsideration individual requirementsand abilities.Chapter 1 of the guidelines sets thescene, presents the rationale behindthe guidelines and introduces the topic.Chapters 2 and 3 provide the reader withan understanding of these guidelines’ twomain concepts, disability inclusion andchild safeguarding. Chapter 4 outlinesthe reasons why children with disabilitiesneed specific attention when it comes tochild safeguarding, rather than only beingsafeguarded through usual practices.Chapters 5 to 9 of the guidelinesmove beyond theory and concepts andintroduce practical implications andrecommendations. Chapter 5 specificallyfocuses on building disability-inclusive childsafeguarding into an organisation’s cultureand systems and provides key advice andrecommendations on how to do this.Chapters 6 to 9 cover the four of thefive key stages of the child safeguardingcycle: empowerment, prevention, reportingand responding. They provide detailedadvice on good practice and practicalrecommendations for actions at each ofthese stages.1.3 The process ofdeveloping the guidelinesAble Child Africa and Save the ChildrenInternational developed these guidelinesusing a consultative, inclusive andparticipatory methodology. The guidelinesreflect the input of more than 57individuals, including children and youthwith disabilities, alongside practitionersfrom safeguarding, child-protection,disability and development sectors.The principal consideration whendeveloping these guidelines was ensuringthat they directly reflect the voice andexperiences of children with disabilities.Considering this, Able Child Africa, Savethe Children International and Rwandaand Uwezo Youth Empowerment startedthis process by conducting a series ofparticipatory workshops with 15 childreniii For a review of existing safeguarding standards used by the international developmentcommunity and how they include children with disabilities please see Appendix 117

with disabilities (9 females and 6 males,aged 9 to 17) and 21 youth with disabilities(11 females and 10 males, aged 18 to 30)in Rwanda. These consultations includedchildren and youth with physical, visual,hearing, neurological, intellectual andmultiple disabilities and individuals withalbinism. Children were accompaniedby a parent or caregiver, who providedadditional input. These consultationscollected feedback on current gaps in childsafeguarding for children with disabilitiesand their preferences on how to makesystems more disability inclusive.An early sector-wide call for evidence wasconducted, and a total of 11 submissionswere received from a range of developmentactors, including OPDS, INGOs and UNAgencies. Following this, a TechnicalReference Group was set up consistingof 21 members from OPDs, NGOs andINGOs, with members contributingwritten feedback to draft copies ofthe guidelines, in addition to providinginput during a roundtable discussion inDecember 2020. The Technical ReferenceGroup was selected based on practicalexperience of working with children withdisabilities and represented a range offocuses, including humanitarian actorsand child-focused, disability-focused andmainstream development organisations.All contributors are listed on theacknowledgements page.conducted in 2020, with results feedinginto Version 1 of these guidelines.Able Child Africa and Save the ChildrenInternational still intend to test theguidelines along with members from theTechnical Reference Group, in additionto children and youth with disabilities.Testing with the Technical ReferenceGroup will be completed via an onlinesurvey, through written feedback, andadditional remote consultations. Furtherconsultations will also take place withchildren and youth with disabilities throughparticipatory workshops to ensure theirinput also feeds into the updated version.Due to limitations resulting from theCOVID-19 pandemic, the testing phase ofthe guidelines has been delayed. It wasinitially intended that testing would be1.4 Framing theguidelinesSeveral assumptions frame the waythese guidelines have been approached. Able Child AfricaEmbedded in a rights-basedapproach18These guidelines are fundamentallyabout realising the rights of children withdisabilities. These guidelines approachchild safeguarding, and how

child protection 30 3.2 Child safeguarding standards 32 3.3 The child safeguarding cycle 33 3.4 Child safeguarding principles 36 4. Why disability-inclusive child . these guidelines to ensure children with disabilities are empowered, protected and safeguarded so that they can fulfil their rights and reach their full potential.