SEND, Mental Health and Barriers to Being Heard
Children with SEND may face additional barriers to disclosure. Mental health difficulties may indicate abuse, neglect or exploitation — not just a wellbeing issue that pastoral care alone can resolve.
Reviewed against KCSIE 2025 · Working Together 2026 · SEND Code of Practice · NSPCC · May 2026
Why this matters
Children with SEND are statistically more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation than their peers — more likely to be targeted, more likely to face communication barriers in disclosure, more likely to have multiple adults involved in their care. Schools that treat SEND and safeguarding as separate systems miss the cases that fall in between. Joint working between DSL and SENCO is not good practice. It is a safeguarding necessity.
What the guidance expects
- 01Schools must be alert to the fact that mental health issues can indicate abuse, neglect or exploitation. (KCSIE 2025)
- 02Children with SEND face additional barriers to disclosure and may need adapted communication routes. (KCSIE 2025)
- 03SENCO and DSL should work together for high-vulnerability pupils. (KCSIE 2025)
- 04SEND duties apply alongside safeguarding duties — they do not replace or excuse non-compliance. (SEND Code of Practice)
- 05Children with EHCPs should have safeguarding needs explicitly considered at annual review. (SEND Code of Practice)
Build joint DSL-SENCO reviews for vulnerable pupils
The DSL and SENCO should have a fortnightly conversation — at minimum — about the overlap between their caseloads. Not an email. A conversation with a shared record of what was discussed and what was decided.
Adapt disclosure routes for children with communication needs
A child who communicates non-verbally, uses Makaton, or has limited vocabulary still has the right to disclose. Does your school have visual reporting routes, trusted adults trained in AAC, and a communication passport process?
Review behaviour data for unmet need
Behaviour data often tells the safeguarding story the child cannot articulate. A pupil repeatedly leaving class, becoming dysregulated at specific times, or self-harming may be signalling something that the SENCO and DSL together can interpret.
Connect attendance, self-harm and exploitation indicators
Self-harm, eating distress, school refusal and severe anxiety all need a dual lens: pastoral response and safeguarding consideration. They are not always symptoms of abuse — but they must always be assessed for that possibility.
Ensure EHC reviews and safeguarding records inform each other
At every EHC annual review: are there any safeguarding concerns or vulnerabilities? If yes, they need to inform EHCP outcomes. If the answer is unknown — that is the problem that needs addressing first.
Quick check
0/5 yesOfficial sources
KCSIE 2025 — Mental health; Children with SEND
Mental health as possible abuse indicator. Additional vulnerability for SEND pupils. SENCO and DSL joint working.
SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 Years
SEND duties and safeguarding adaptations. EHC review requirements.
NSPCC — Safeguarding Children with SEND
Vulnerabilities, communication barriers, SENCO and safeguarding links.