Neglect
Journalst briefing, September 2008
Definition
Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child's health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is a born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food and clothing, shelter including exclusion from home or abandonment, failing to protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger, failure to ensure adequate supervision including the use of inadequate care-takers, or the failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment it may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child's basic emotional needs.
(Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006)
Key Points:
Neglect has been neglected. It is underreported and underestimated.
Neglect is pervasive. It is the most common category in the child protection
registry in England, accounting for 43 per cent of all entries (DfES 2006a).
Neglect is complex and hard to define. It varies by type, severity and chronicity
as well as a child's age.
Because neglect is hard to define, it can be difficult for professionals to identify
the point at which to make a referral.
Neglect often co-exists with other forms of child maltreatment. Boundaries
between abuse and neglect can become blurred.
There is no single cause for neglect. Most neglectful families experience a variety
and a combination of adversities. Depression, domestic violence, substance use
and poverty are amongst the factors linked to neglect.
Some children are particularly vulnerable to neglect. At risk groups include
children born prematurely, children with disabilities, adolescents, children in
care, runaways, asylum-seeking children and children from BME communities.
Neglect has adverse short- and long-term effects. In extreme cases, neglect kills.
The needs of neglectful families are varied and complex. This calls for a joinedup
interagency approach.
Effective interventions in child neglect cases are crucial for safeguarding
children.
NSPCC Child Protection Research Briefing on neglect (2007)
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/Briefings/childneglect
PDF_wdf51503.pdf
Statistics:
18% of children experienced some absence of care during childhood and 20% experienced less than adequate supervision.
(Cawson et al., 2000, Child Maltreatment in the UK: A Study of the Prevalence of Child Abuse and Neglect, NSPCC, p.46 & 51)
6% of children experienced serious absence of care at home during childhood.
(Cawson et al., 2000, Child Maltreatment in the UK: A Study of the Prevalence of Child Abuse and Neglect, NSPCC, p.46)
5% of children experienced serious absence of supervision during childhood.
(Cawson et al., 2000, Child Maltreatment in the UK: A Study of the Prevalence of Child Abuse and Neglect, NSPCC, p.51)
Neglect constitutes the largest category of registrations on child protection registers. For example, in England in 2005/2006 43% of children registered as at risk of harm were registered under neglect.
(DfES, 2006, Statistics of Education: Referrals, Assessments and Children and Young People on Child Protection Registers: Year Ending 31 March 2006
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000692/index.shtmlChild protection registers statistics for England and Wales show that one-year-olds have the highest rates of registration for neglect (Cawson et al., 2000, Child Maltreatment in the UK: A Study of the Prevalence of Child Abuse and Neglect, NSPCC, p.37)
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Curtain Road, London EC2A 3NH. Incorporated by Royal Charter. Registered charity number 216401. NSPCC, charity registered in Scotland, charity number SC037717.