Action for Children, in partnership with the University of Stirling, has published their annual review of child neglect, which finds that:

• 51% of social workers and 36% of police officers report feeling 'powerless' to intervene in suspected cases of child neglect
• 52% of those surveyed said they have been worried about the welfare or safety of a child they know or who is living in their area
• 42% of social workers questioned felt that the point at which they could intervene in cases of child neglect was too high and for those children who did meet the level at which they could intervene, 52% cited a lack of resources and 43% a lack of support services to refer families to
• 55% of primary school staff. 46% of pre-school and nursery staff and 41% of health professionals stated that the most helpful improvement in tackling child neglect would be if they were able to report less serious suspicions before they became worse
• Studies suggest that up to 10% of all children in the UK have experienced neglect

What is Neglect?

Working Together 2010 defines Neglect as:

"A form of Significant Harm which involves 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. It may include:

• Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse.
• 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
• Failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment
• Neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child's basic emotional needs"

How common is Neglect?

Neglect is the most common reason for a child to be the subject of a child protection plan or on a child protection register in the UK.  Almost 21,000 children in the UK are registered under a category that includes neglect (45% of all children who were subject of a child protection plan or on a child protection register). Source: NSPCC

Where can I find out more?

Visit the Children's Workforce Matters Neglect page

Find out about Safeguarding Training

Worried about a child or young person?

If you're worried about any child and think they may be a victim of neglect, abuse or cruelty, contact your local Social Care office or the Police.

Click here for referral instructions for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Click here for referral instructions for Northamptonshire