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. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:
- provide adequate food, clothing, and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment)
- protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger
- ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate caregivers)
- ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment
- provide suitable education
It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.
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).
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.
Neglect in the SCSP Child protection and Safeguarding Procedure Manual
Other helpful resources
In line with Sheffield’s Neglect Strategy, SCSP promotes the use of the NSPCC Graded Care Profile to identify and intervene with families where neglect is a concern or may become a concern.
SCSP delivers regular Neglect Awareness Training to support practitioners and supervisors to develop a foundation of understanding about child neglect.
E-learning – Supporting Children’s Oral Health, NHS England (available to all -registration required)
Too little, too late: The multi-agency response to identifying and tackling neglect
Child neglect: Literature review
Child neglect literature review: Neglect across the childhood spectrum
Child neglect literature review: Typologies of neglect