Neglect

Neglect of a child or young person is the persistent failure to meet a child or young person’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child or young person’s health or development.

Examples of neglect may see a parent or carer failing to:

• Provide adequate food, shelter and clothing.
• Protect a child or young person from physical harm or danger.
• Ensure access to appropriate and timely medical care or treatment.
• Respond to a child or young person’s basic emotional needs.

In its extreme form, children or young people can be at serious risk from the effects of malnutrition, lack of nurturing and stimulation.

This can lead to serious long-term effects such as greater susceptibility to serious childhood illnesses and reduction in potential height and weight.

For example, children may be diagnosed as suffering from what is referred to as “non-organic failure to thrive”, which means they have been significantly prevented from reaching normal weight and growth or childhood development milestones and physical and genetic reasons have been discounted.

Learn about our reducing neglect work

Useful links

• NSPCC protecting children from neglect
• NSPCC signs and indicators of neglect 

Key resources

Action on Neglect resource pack

Year: 2013 | Topic: Child protection, Neglect | Author: Action for Children, University of Stirling

Action on Neglect is a resource pack for practitioners who work with neglected children.

Tackling Child Neglect in Scotland Background Paper 1: Follow-up survey 2016

Year: 2016 | Topic: Child protection, Neglect | Author: Jane Scott and Brigid Daniel, Centre for Child Wellbeing and Protection, University of Stirling.

This 2016 survey was commissioned by Scottish Government to inform the Child Protection Improvement Programme and the Neglect Improvement Pi…

Background Paper 3 Child Neglect in Scotland: Rapid review of legislation and policy

Year: 2016 | Topic: Child protection, Neglect | Author: Jane Scott and Brigid Daniel

The Centre for Child Wellbeing and Protection, based at the University of Stirling, was commissioned by Scottish Government to undertake a ra…

Background Paper 2 Child Neglect in Scotland: Rapid review of the literature on intervention

Year: 2016 | Topic: Child protection, Neglect | Author: Jane Scott and Brigid Daniel

The aim of this rapid review of the evidence was to identify the core and common elements and principles shown to be associated with effectiv…

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