Child neglect

Children thrive in a home with loving and supportive caregivers who meet their needs. However, many families face challenges that make it hard to do this.

It’s important to address neglect as soon as signs are noticed because it improves the child/young person’s outcomes. If their needs are ignored, the situation will worsen. Neglect is a complex form of child abuse that can severely impact a child’s life.

What is neglect?

Neglect happens when children don’t get the things they need to grow and develop. This can cause serious and long-lasting harm, but it’s not always easy to identify. It involves thinking beyond an isolated incident or quick fixes. Neglect is caused to caregivers’ actions and behaviours that lead to unmet needs for the child.

“the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse.”

“Working Together to Safeguard Children” (HM Government, 2023)

Neglect damages a child/young person’s resilience and makes them feel unworthy.

Are you worried that a child’s basic needs are not being met?

Are they attending school on a regular basis?
Are they attending health appointments?
Do they appear to be hungry?
Are they dressed appropriately for the weather?
Are they protected from harm by their parent or carer?
Is the child scapegoated, ignored or dismissed?
Is the child deprived of food as punishment?
Are they exposed to domestic violence?
Are they exposed to alcohol or drugs?
Does a parent or carer have mental health issues?

These are just a few examples of issues and behaviours that may lead to a child becoming neglected.

Neglect Strategy (PDF, 868KB)

Responding to neglect

here you have concerns for neglect, and these do not meet the indicators for significant harm then the first step is to talk to the family about your worries.

Completion of the neglect screening tool (PDF, KB) or antenatal screening tool (PDF, KB) (if there is a pregnancy) is recommended. This can be used to inform your thoughts and can be done with or without the caregiver.

Screening Tools

The screening tools are available to all agencies in North East Lincolnshire and should be completed by anyone who is concerned about a child that may have unmet needs. It can be used throughout a child and family’s journey for both new/ emerging concerns and open cases.

If you have an immediate concern that a child is being neglected or in need of urgent support go to report a concern about a child.

Do not complete the screening tool before reporting an urgent concern.

Neglect screening tool (PDF, 1MB)

Antenatal screening tool (PDF, 74KB)

Neglect guidance and toolkit

The toolkit can be used as part of multi-agency working to help identify and respond to all aspects of neglect within a family and determine what steps need to be taken to support and improve a child’s lived experience.

The mini tools can provide guidance on unmet needs when working with a family such as:

Types of neglect
Presenting neglectful behaviours
Developmental milestones
Impact of unmet need
Dental neglect
Home environment
Building relationships
Adolescent neglect

Neglect toolkit quick guide (PDF, 139KB)

Neglect toolkit (PDF, 8MB)

When a child’s needs aren’t being met because the parents/carers lack knowledge or skills, the first choice of intervention should be to provide Early Help services such as information, training and support.

A Team Around the Family (TAF) meeting can take place to help explore the concerns of neglect. It should include all professionals working with the family and use a collaborative approach, making sure to listen to the voice of the child and those with parental responsibility. An Early Help Assessment plan (, KB) can be used as a conversation tool to identify the right support at the right time. Placing the child at the heart of the assessment will help find the best interventions at the earliest opportunity.

When there are concerns about a child’s care, it’s important to regularly assess and plan with intervention and review. Use an objective measure like the Assessment Triangle (PDF, 81KB) , to look at all areas of the child’s needs showing both strengths and weaknesses. This helps track improvements or declines over time, and allows professionals to target work as it highlights the areas in which the child’s needs are, and are not being met. It may also help parents or carers who have experienced neglect themselves understand why certain behaviours are harmful.

If there is no progress and professionals believe that progress in unlikely without more proactive intervention, a referral to Children’s Services in line with the Referrals Procedure should be considered with a detailed history.

When supporting a family where neglect is an issue, it’s important to focus on the child’s needs rather than parents/carers. Intervention should concentrate on ensuring that the child’s needs are being met. This may require parents/carers having access to specialist (and if necessary independent) advice and assistance, including help in communication with professionals.

Neglect can happen from lack of knowledge, competing priorities, stress or deprivation. It may also be linked to cultural behaviours which are inappropriate in the context in which the family is living. It is important to explore why the child is being neglected and what the barriers are to improving that child’s life

Neglect often happens when parents or carers are dealing with other problems like substance misuse, mental health issues, learning disabilities, domestic violence, or lack of suitable housing. Sometimes, the birth of an another child can add more pressure on the family. Parents or carers may provide an acceptable standard of care until a new stress or unexpected crisis occurs, causing them to lose sight of their child’s needs. In this situation, the first step for intervention should be the provision of support to help manage these pressures. This may require a referral to adult services or family support services.

Related documents

Related agencies

Families First Information Service – 01472 326293
Health Visiting and School Nursing – 01472 323660
NSPCC Grimsby – 01472 803500

Messages of Good Practice

Practical resources and interventions are often beneficial but their impact on meeting the child’s needs must be kept under review. The carers ability to recognise their childs vulnerabilities and needs is more crucial than the professionals offer of a practical ‘quick fix’ such as supporting the carer to tidy the house.
Relieving financial poverty does not necessarily relieve emotional poverty;
Neglectful families are more likely to be isolated and to have weak informal networks. Providing volunteer support, and facilitating better relationship with family and in the community, can be effective in raising standards of care;
Dealing with neglect can be overwhelming for professionals: support and regular supervision are crucial;
It is important to carry out regular reviews of the rate at which the required change is being achieved in terms of the child’s improved health and development. Create SMART actions and allow the carer and child to express what they think needs to happen and what that help and action looks like.