Every year, thousands of New Zealand children are affected by neglect. Neglect is too important to ignore. Because neglect is a hidden problem, it can easily be ignored. Although its effects may not be as obvious as other forms of child abuse, neglect causes serious and lasting damage to children. The whole community is responsible for protecting children, and if we want to do something about neglect, it means we must first recognise that neglect is a serious issue.

Neglect is about what parents and caregivers don’t do. We all understand that parents are not able to meet all their child’s needs all the time, but it is persistent neglect, or the failure to deal with something which is life-threatening for the child, that causes the most harm.

Physical neglect
Physical neglect is the failure to provide the necessities to sustain the life or health of the child – the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter.

Medical neglect
Medical neglect occurs when a parent fails to provide adequate health care. It includes refusing or delaying seeking medical treatment, failing to give regular medication for chronic conditions such as diabetes or asthma,
and failing to take normal preventative measures.

Supervisory neglect
Supervisory neglect occurs when parents fail to supervise their child, or to arrange for proper supervision in their absence. Supervisory neglect often occurs where children are left in the care of another child who is not old enough. New Zealand law says children under the age of 14 should not be left on their own.

Emotional neglect
Emotional neglect is failing to provide adequately for a child’s emotional and psychological developmental needs.
This includes not spending enough time with the child, or not providing the experiences a child needs for their
mind and emotions to develop.

Educational neglect
Educational neglect occurs when the child is not provided with learning opportunities. Even before a child goes to
school, some parents do not provide the stimulating objects and experiences which very young children need.

Abandonment
Abandonment involves leaving a child totally, without arranging for necessary care.

Non-organic failure to thrive
This describes an infant who shows a decline from a previously established growth pattern, or who falls well below the expected weight gain for their age. If there is no medical cause, for example, a growth disorder or a feeding problem, it is likely that there is neglect.

Developmental delay
Neglect causes children to develop more slowly, falling further and further behind their age group on all measures  of development, including language, creativity and social skills. Neglected children are likely to have difficulty with  solving problems, and may be more angry and frustrated than other children.

Poor school achievement
Academic failure is the single most consistent risk factor for school-age neglected children. They tend to score  far below their peers on all school performance measures. Neglected children are also more likely to be absent from school and to drop out of school earlier.

Brain damage
Severe neglect in early life can cause brain damage which is permanent and irreversible. New techniques measuring brain growth show that children who are not given enough attention can have brains that are 20-30% smaller than others their age.

Fatality
Children can die from neglect. Sometimes fatal neglect occurs where a child’s basic needs are ignored over a long period of time. More commonly, fatal neglect results from accidents which happen because of poor supervision.

All children need:

Physical care and protection
Parents who neglect often don’t understand how much their child needs from them. They may be poor at anticipating hazards or making sure their child gets basic things like good food, adequate clothing, enough sleep and age appropriate supervision.

Affection and approval
Effective parents interact warmly with their children, giving words of approval and encouragement, and providing positive touch and cuddles. Parents who neglect tend not to understand the ages and stages of child development, and get angry with the child for behaviour which is quite normal for his or her age.

Stimulus
All children need mental and emotional stimulus to grow. They need a wide and varied range of age appropriate experiences to develop language, social and emotional skills. To develop well, children need interaction – not just hearing language around them, but experiencing someone describing, giving words for, asking questions about, explaining what the child is seeing and experiencing.

Clear boundaries
Parents may not know the sort of behaviour or skills or understanding that can be expected from their child and may have unrealistic expectations. Parents and caregivers need to provide age appropriate boundaries, in a way which helps their child build independence. Reinforcing positive behaviour and minimising negative behaviour helps children learn to set their own limits.

Independence
Parents want to see their child grow up to be happily and healthily independent. When parents encourage a child to carry out appropriate tasks on their own, it helps build competence and independence. Neglected children may lag far behind in the normal development of skills and competence. They may find it hard to tackle a problem with enthusiasm, persistence and imagination. Neglected children may be more dependent and lack self-control.

Lack of understanding of child development
Parents who neglect their children often do not know very much about how children grow and develop. They don’t know what is reasonable to expect at different ages. Instead, they can view natural, age-appropriate behaviour as a deliberate act of disobedience or defiance. They do not understand that child rearing is a very complex task, with lots of responsibilities.

Parents’ own difficulties 
Parents’ own difficulties may mean they don’t focus on their children enough. Parents may be depressed or have a mental or physical illness, or be addicted to alcohol or drugs. Their own childhood may have included neglect and inadequate care. They may find it difficult to trust others, or be too dependent themselves to cope with others depending on them.

Parents interact negatively with their children
Effective parents are flexible in their attitudes and respond to the needs of the child and the situation. Neglectful parents often have more rigid ways of responding to life in general, and a low level of interaction with their children. They tend to be more controlling and ignore positive behaviour while focusing on faults in their children.

Lack of family and community support
Families who lack extended family support and are socially isolated are more at risk of neglecting their children. Wider family support, and a community which provides services for children and parents, together help prevent neglect.

• Find family members or friends who can provide practical support.
• Give the family information about understanding and responding to the child’s needs, providing caring and consistent support to the child, and child development.
• Help the family make suitable childcare arrangements, so that children are not left unsupervised.
• Let them know what options are available in the local community in terms of recreation, day care, and support groups.

Referral to a community agency
Families can be referred to a range of groups and agencies in the community able to help them through their difficulties, for example:

• Barnardos
• Iwi, cultural and other community based social services.
• Plunket
• Public health nurses

They will offer practical support and work with the family to achieve change. Also, you can phone Child, Youth and Family for information about appropriate support agencies in your local area.

Referral to Child, Youth and Family
The most serious cases should be referred to Child, Youth and Family for investigation. This includes cases where:

• the risks to a child are long term and serious
• the child has been abandoned or left home alone
• other options have been tried and there has been no change
• parents and caregivers are continuing to neglect a child and are resisting the involvement of outside agencies
• workers or family members believe that legal intervention is required to keep a child safe.

You can discuss your concerns quite informally with the local Child, Youth and Family office if you are unsure about whether to formally make a referral.