Neglect
Growing Up Well: Addressing Child Neglect in Sheffield
Neglect is the most common form of child abuse in the UK and can have a significant and lasting impact on a child's health, wellbeing and development. It is often experienced over time, with harm accumulating throughout childhood and sometimes into adulthood. Growing Up Well: A strategy for addressing neglect in Sheffield 2026-20 and Sheffield's Neglect Information Pack highlight the importance of recognising concerns early and responding before harm escalates.
The Sheffield Children Safeguarding Partnership is committed to helping practitioners identify, prevent and address neglect through a shared multi-agency approach set out in the Growing Up Well strategy and supporting resources.
Quick Links
📘 Strategy
📗 Information Pack
📙 Quick Guide
🎓 Training
What is child neglect?
Children need safety, stability, nurturing relationships and consistent care that meets their physical, emotional and developmental needs. They need access to education and healthcare, appropriate supervision, and an environment where they feel seen, heard and supported to thrive.
Neglect is:
The persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in serious impairment of the child's health or development.
Neglect can present in many ways, including:
- Physical neglect.
- Medical and dental neglect.
- Educational neglect.
- Safety and supervisory neglect.
- Emotional neglect.
- Developmental neglect.
Why is it important to address it?
Neglect can affect children's physical health, emotional wellbeing, relationships, learning and development. It is associated with some of the poorest long-term outcomes for children and can increase vulnerability to other forms of abuse and harm. At its most severe, neglect can contribute to the death of a child.
One of the challenges of neglect is that the impact is not always immediately visible. Sheffield's Information Pack highlights the concept of 'lag' – where the effects of neglect may not become apparent until months or years later. Harm may already be occurring, even when a child appears to be coping.
Neglect is also frequently cumulative. Seemingly small concerns, taken in isolation, may not appear significant. However, when viewed over time, they can build a picture of unmet need and increasing harm. Chronologies can help practitioners recognise this pattern and understand the child's lived experience.
Poverty and neglect
Poverty can make it more difficult for families to meet children's needs and may increase vulnerability to neglect. However, poverty and neglect are not the same. Practitioners should remain professionally curious and seek to understand whether families need help to access resources, or whether there are wider concerns about the care being provided to a child.
Children at particular risk
While any child can experience neglect, some groups appear more frequently in reviews where children have experienced serious harm:
- Babies and very young children.
- Adolescents.
- Children with additional needs or complex health conditions.
- Children whose parents face additional challenges such as domestic abuse, substance misuse, mental ill-health, disability or other vulnerabilities
Keeping the child's voice at the centre
A key principle of Sheffield's approach is understanding the child's lived experience. Practitioners should seek to understand what daily life is like for the child and how their needs are being met over time.
Importantly, children within the same family may experience neglect differently. Assessments, plans and interventions should reflect each child's individual experience, needs and views.
Research highlighted within Sheffield's Information Pack also suggests that children often place significant emphasis on the impact of emotional neglect, reinforcing the need for practitioners to look beyond physical indicators of harm.
Graded Care Profile 2 for assessment and intervening with neglect
Graded Care Profile 2
Sheffield has committed to address the harm of neglect by using the Graded Care Profile 2 from the NSPCC. Graded Care Profile 2 is an evidence-based tool that aids practitioners in measuring the quality of care provided to a child by their carer(s).
Graded Care Profile 2: 7-minute briefing
Practitioners can only use the tool once they have attended and passed a 1-day training course. Check eligibility and book here. If you have already attended the training then check your emails from SCSP training where you will find the links to the Graded Care Profile 2 tools.
Graded Care Profile 2 Antenatal
This tool is perfect for supporting parental care during pregnancy and in the first months after the baby is born. Graded Care Profile 2 Antenatal is just starting to be implemented in September 2026, so watch out for policy and procedure development within your organisation.
If you work with new or expectant parents then you can undertake the training and gain access to the materials. Links in the training section below.
Multi-agency Training
Further Reading
Neglect in the SCSP Child protection and Safeguarding Procedure Manual
If you are concerned that a child may be experiencing neglect, follow your agency's safeguarding procedures and seek advice from your safeguarding lead. Early recognition and effective support can make a significant difference to children's lives.