Neglect

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. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:

• provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment);
• protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger;
• ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or
• ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.

It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

Responding to Neglect

If you think neglect is occurring in a family, household or for an individual child or young person you must consider your next course of action.

• Good practice
• Record concerns, conversations and interaction
• Use a chronology
• Assess and review
• Discuss concerns with colleagues and partner agencies
• Discuss concerns with the child, parent / carer and family members as appropriate
• Think Family, Work Family

Local Resources

• Neglect Strategy 2018
• Neglect Practitioners Toolkit
• KSCP Inital Neglect Screening Tool

National Resources

• Working with Child Neglect during the Covid 19 pandemic
• Learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/neglect/

Key Lessons

• learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/learning-from-case-reviews/neglect/

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• Parental Learning Disability
• Parental Substance Misuse
• Parental Mental Health
• Domestic Abuse