Neglect
Neglect is the ongoing failure to meet a child’s basic and essential needs, and is the most common form of child abuse. Children need adequate food, water, shelter, warmth, protection from physical harm and danger, health care, and carers who are attentive and dependable in providing these needs.
If these aren’t provided, this is neglect. Neglect can also include lack of responsiveness to a child’s basic emotional needs.
There are four broad types of neglect:
- Physical neglect is where a child’s basic needs (e.g. food, shelter, clothing) are not met or the child isn’t kept safe.
- Emotional neglect involves a parent or carer failing to provide the nurture and stimulation they require.
- Educational neglect is when a parent or carer doesn’t ensure that a child is properly educated.
- Medical neglect involves a child not being given proper health care and dental care.
Neglect can put children and young people in danger and can also have longer-term effects on their physical and mental wellbeing, including:
Neglect can often become an issue when parents are dealing with complex problems, sometimes including domestic abuse, substance misuse, mental health issues, social-economic issues or they may have been poorly looked after themselves. These problems can have a direct impact on parents’ ability to meet their child’s needs. Even when parents are struggling with other personal issues they have a responsibility to care for their child or seek help if they are unable to parent adequately.
Effects of Neglect
Neglect changes childhood, and children who have been neglected can experience many short-term and long-term effects, including:
- Accidental injuries
- Taking risks like running away from home, using drugs, or breaking the law
- Difficulty with relationships later in life or getting into dangerous relationships
- Disability
- Poor physical health
- Poor emotional and psychological development
- Lack of self-esteem
- Mental health problems, including depression and anxiety
- Self-harm and attempts at suicide
- Death
A child being neglected may also be suffering from other forms of abuse.
The Graded Care Profile: A Neglect Assessment Tool
As part of the Brighton and Hove Neglect Strategy the Safeguarding Partnership have commissioned and approved the use of the Graded care Profile 2 (GCP2)
The GCP2 is a licenced (NSPCC), evidenced based tool. GCP2 is designed to provide an objective measure of the care of children by carer/parent within a specific time frame.
Multiagency training is available via the Learning Gateway for members of staff, who work predominantly with children, young people and their families, parents or carers.
The Graded Care Profile (GCP) is a widely used neglect assessment tool used by all agencies to assess whether a child is at risk of neglect. The GCP helps to measure the quality of care being given to a child in respect of four domains of care:
- Physical care
- Safety
- Affection/Love
- Esteem
The tool, adopted by Dr Leon Polnay and Dr O P Srivastava (Bedfordshire and Luton Community NHS Trust and Luton Borough Council), gives an objective measure of the quality of care delivered to a child by grading against each domain, taking into consideration the effort and commitment shown by the parent or carer.
The GCP tool allows for areas of concern to be identified so that the family or carer can be supported appropriately.
Find out how to spot the signs of neglect here.
Our Neglect Strategy
BHSCP Neglect Strategy – Nov 2021-23
If you are concerned about a child, please contact Front Door For Families on 01273 290400, FrontDoorForFamilies@brighton-hove.gov.uk, or use their Online Referral Form.
If a child is in immediate danger,