Barriers to seeking help - children with additional needs

There are a number of potential barriers for a child with additional needs to seek help. Please consider the following:

• Children may lack knowledge about abuse and their right to protection, and their vocabulary may not be developed to enable them to seek help
• Those in a child's network, to whom they could potentially turn for help, may not be familiar with the child's method of communication
• Opportunities for seeking help from those who are familiar with the child's method of communication may be limited
• Children may have a limited range of trusted adults to confide in. They may fear that if they raise concerns within their immediate network, confidentiality will not be maintained
• A child may not have access to a private and safe area to discuss their concerns or be able to use a telephone or a computer without help
• Sources of information and advice external to the child's network may not be accessible