You run a holiday support group for carers of children with disability. Five-year-old Helena has recently started to attend with her childminder. Helena has mild learning and physical disabilities and her family is still distressed that their daughter is not ‘normal’. Her parents seem to find it hard to place boundaries on her behaviour. Helena’s childminder follows the family line that ‘the poor little girl’ can not be expected to behave like other children. Helena has a soft voice and sweet smile, but you are beginning to think that she deliberately hurts other children under the cover of giving them a cuddle in play. A couple of incidents also make you consider that Helena is adept at ‘setting up’ other children, so they break the group rules and get into trouble. You want to address the situation, without overreacting. You want to be realistic about the ways in which Helena’s disability may genuinely limit her understanding.

● What would concern you for the child in this situation?

● What might be complicating factors for practitioners to consider?

● What should probably be your first step now?