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D

Disability

The word disability is used to describe people who have:

• a physical/sensory impairment
• a learning difficulty
• or people who have mental health problems

The word ‘impairment’ is another way of saying disability. A person may be born with a disability or acquire a disability through accident or illness. You might not know that someone has a disability, because not all disabilities can be seen. Sometimes children and young people with a disability need particular equipment to help them. Sometimes they may go to a special school, but wherever possible they attend their local schools.

Disability does not mean lack of ability! Many people with a disability are very able but are restricted in what they can achieve by barriers. Sometimes these barriers may be physical barriers like steps stopping a wheelchair user getting somewhere, or they may be the attitudes of other people.

Other people’s attitudes cannot always be seen but they can be the cause of people with disabilities not being included or considered in things. Such attitudes can include treating people with a disability as though they cannot think, or answer for themselves, not allowing a person with a disability to join in activities with everyone else, and sometimes treating people with a disability as if they did not have the same rights as everyone else. These attitudes are wrong and it is discrimination to treat people differently in this way.

If you have a disability you have a basic right to lead a full and active life. This means things like being able to get in and out of buildings, being able to take part in school and community activities and being able to have relationships if you chose to.

While you are looked after by Plymouth City Council:

• your carers should care for any special needs you may have.
• they will not treat you differently because you have a disability but it does mean making sure you have the appropriate aids and facilities to help you join in with everyday activities.

A person with a disability should not be teased or bullied or treated badly because of their disability. This is discrimination, and if you feel you are being discriminated against because of your disability you should talk to your carer or social worker. Or, if this is difficult, you should contact our Complaints Officer.

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Discipline

We believe that when we are looking after children we should place them with carers who can give them a home life that is caring and one in which each child can feel safe, secure and have a feeling and sense of being part of a family group. This kind of home life should be provided in Children’s Homes as well as by Foster Carers.

The carers who look after you have responsibilities for you:

• to make sure that you don’t take part in activities that can harm yourself or harm others.
• to bring you up to be a caring person who knows how to behave well and how to make friends and good relationships with other people.
• to help you to behave yourself so that you don’t get into trouble at school or with the law. Therefore you can expect them to tell you off if your behaviour is bad. You may also be stopped from having a treat such as a planned outing if you behave badly. Also if your behaviour causes damage to goods or property, then you may have to pay for the cost out of your pocket money.

Although carers have to help you behave yourself they are not allowed to hit you. (See Forbidden Punishments). They can, however, hold you briefly with minimum force if they believe your behaviour and actions are going to cause serious harm to yourself or someone else.

In the same way as you should not be hit, other people should not be hit or hurt by you. If you hit someone, then they can use minimum force to defend themselves and they may press charges with the police.

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