Processing and memory
Fast questions, several speakers or long verbal explanations may make it hard to understand, remember or answer accurately.
Practical guide and template
Communication and accessibility
Safeguarding conversations still need to be understandable. This guide helps you describe a communication barrier, ask for practical support and keep responsibility for participating honestly.
Use the printable planning page to make a clear request before a meeting or assessment.
Start with the real difficulty
“I struggle in meetings” is true—but not yet enough to fix it.
Describe the effect.Explain what becomes difficult, when it happens and how it affects the accuracy or quality of your participation.
Ask for something practical.The clearest requests connect a barrier to a realistic adjustment rather than leaving others to guess what might help.
Adjustments support participation.They do not remove safeguarding concerns, change evidence or guarantee a particular decision.
Make a workable request
Four useful parts
Explain the barrier
Describe what happens in practice: for example, ‘When several questions are asked together, I lose track and may answer only the last one.’
Ask for a specific change
Say what would help you participate: for example, one question at a time and ten minutes to read important written information.
Connect it to participation
Explain how the adjustment helps you understand concerns, give accurate information or follow the child’s plan.
Ask for confirmation
Request a written answer and ask who to contact if the arrangement is not working on the day.
Branches of Safety
Communication-support planner
General information for England · Not legal advice
What affects my participation?
Adjustments that may help
- Agenda, questions and reports sent in advance
- Plain-English explanations and acronyms written out
- One question or topic at a time
- Extra processing time before an answer is expected
- Short planned breaks or a shorter meeting
- A quiet room, remote attendance or an accessible venue
- An interpreter, communication aid or accessible document format
- A trusted supporter or advocate to help with understanding and notes
- Key decisions, actions and deadlines confirmed in writing
- An opportunity to provide a written response after reading the record
Who needs to know?
Person or serviceWhat I will askDate requestedResponse / next step
A written request you can adapt
Subject: Communication support / reasonable-adjustment request
I want to take part fully and give clear, accurate information. I experience which affects me by .
This is particularly difficult when . A recent example is .
I am asking for . This would help me understand the concerns, respond accurately and complete agreed actions by .
Please confirm what can be put in place, whether you need any further information and who I should speak to if the support is not available on the day.
Keep a copy of your request and the response. You can ask for the decision and reasons in writing if an adjustment is refused or changed.
On the day
- Check at the beginning that the agreed support is in place.
- Say when you do not understand rather than guessing what a term or question means.
- Ask for a break before overload or distress makes communication less accurate.
- Use the agreed method to correct or add information after the meeting.
- Ask for key decisions, actions, deadlines and any refusal of support in writing.
Review the support
A careful legal note
When the Equality Act may apply
The Equality Act 2010 protects disabled people in areas including public services. The legal definition generally involves a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term negative effect on normal day-to-day activities. A diagnosis may be relevant, but the effect on the person is important.
Organisations have a duty to make reasonable adjustments so disabled people can access services. What is reasonable depends on the circumstances. This page gives general information, not a legal opinion about whether a person meets the definition or whether a particular adjustment must be provided.
Official information
Check your rights and the current guidance.
Safeguarding practice should support meaningful family participation, and equality law may create additional duties where disability affects access.
Accessibility is not the same as avoiding difficult questions.
The aim is to make the process understandable and enable accurate participation. If you think equality law has been breached, get specialist advice rather than relying on this guide alone.