The development of a community based response towards families with special needs who have been victims of abuse

Abstract

The abuse of children with special needs has burgeoned yet it remains an underresearched area particularly in South Africa. This study sought to look at some of the experiences of abuse that children endured, through the lens of their parents. Moreover it sought to explore what community based interventions could be leveled to provide support to victims and their families and prevent this type of abuse. Qualitative research methodology was used to guide the study and collect data from three samples. These included family members of children who had experienced abuse, community members and social service professionals who were involved in cases related to the abuse of children with special needs. A total of twenty seven participants from these aforementioned samples, were purposefully selected to participate in the study. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The study found that whilst services were available for children who were abused, it did not extend itself to cater for the unique needs of those special needs children who became victims of this. Interviews with parents reflected the deep trauma and distress both children and family members endured and also uncovered the deep vulnerability of this population to greater abuse, than the general population of children. Their fragility was further reflected by their inability to communicate their experiences, making reporting more complex and the ability to secure conviction of perpetrators more difficult. Many potential community based initiatives for both support and prevention were unraveled through the study. It was salient to discover that many community stakeholders had attempted to provide greater support and enable children with special needs to receive the necessary support to cope and when possible to enable families to report such matters. Community based initiatives that emerged in the data focused around the need for greater advocacy and awareness in relation to this problem. Participants also emphasized the need for social service professionals to provide more specialized therapeutic interventions for victims of this abuse. Holistically these initiatives both micro and macro were used to develop a community based crisis centre guideline which can be used to address this problem.