Scope statement on abuse case

Commenting on the abuse of a four-year-old disabled girl whose parents were jailed this week, Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Scope, said today:

"We are appalled by this shocking abuse of a child with cerebral palsy which exposes both major failings in the protection of disabled children and the extreme vulnerability of their human rights.

"This is a horrific case involving parents who are guilty of inexcusable violence against a child. But it does raise some serious questions about whether the procedures designed to protect disabled children really work. From an inadequate understanding of how a disabled child communicates to the availability of adoptive parents for disabled children, there is much that now needs to be reviewed in light of this case.

"It also reflects the fact that too many disabled children in this country are falling through the gaps in social care provision. There is a whole range of hidden problems which families of disabled children face - including a chronic lack of practical and financial support - which are inadequately dealt with under the current system and urgently need to be addressed."