Shared result: Ensure personal safety

This shared result focuses on promoting systems and practices to protect disabled children and adults in all settings.

This result recognises obligations in the CRPD, particularly Articles 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 23.

7. Priority: Reduce barriers to disabled people making decisions to determine their own lives

a) Ensure disabled people can exercise their legal capacity, including through recognition of supported decision making. Lead: Office for Disability Issues.

b) Explore the framework that protects the bodily integrity of disabled children and disabled adults against non-therapeutic medical procedures, including the issue of consent. This action will focus initially on options to protect against non-therapeutic sterilisation without the fully informed consent of the individual. Lead: Ministry of Health, with support from the Ministry of Justice.

8. Priority: Reduce the number of disabled children and adults who are victims of violence, abuse or neglect

a) Review the current care and support processes for disabled children who are (or are likely to be) subject to care under the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989 to establish whether they are being treated equitably and fairly, and in their best interests and, if not, to provide advice on changes needed to legislation, operational policy, operational delivery and/or monitoring and enforcement. Lead: Ministry of Social Development.

b) Explore options to reduce violence, abuse (all types, including bullying) and neglect of disabled people and understand the impact of different cultural contexts. This work will include:

  • building on previous work to educate disabled people about their rights
  • ensuring the needs of disabled people are built into the Family Violence work programme
  • scoping a new work programme for abuse by non-family members.

Lead: Ministry of Social Development.

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