Neglect is a persistent failure to meet a child’s physical and/or psychological needs. It is the most common form of abuse in the UK and around 1 in 10 children have been neglected.
Neglect can include failing to provide adequate food, shelter or medical attention, failing to ensure a child is properly supervised and could include a neglect of a child’s basic emotional needs.
The updates to the statutory guidance Working together to safeguard children (DfE, 2023) also include a “failure to provide suitable education” within the definition of neglect.
Schools spend a considerable amount of time discussing neglect with staff throughout the year and the number of police-recorded child cruelty offences is increasing – which may be due to earlier and more effective identification and reporting (see NSPCC, 2024).
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