ABSTRACT
Neglect is a form of signicant harm as dened in the Children Act 1989, and it is the most common of the four reasons why children are made the subject of a multi-agency child protection plan. While traditionally associated with the dirty child – perhaps with ill-tting clothes, perhaps a little smelly, perhaps with a poor health and dental care record – physical neglect is only one part of the range of experiences to which the neglected child is exposed. The term ‘neglect’ is used to describe a wide range of adult behaviours and childhood experiences. Neglect can have a major impact on all areas of the child’s development, and that impact can continue throughout childhood and even throughout adulthood. Sometimes, by the time a child has been removed from a neglectful situation, irreversible damage has already been done. Neglect can poison childhood and permanently damage life chances; at its worst, children die from neglect. Neglect sometimes starts before birth, so this chapter will consider neglect from pregnancy until the end of the early years. By the end of this chapter you will:
N understand the range of experiences that constitute neglect in the early years;
N understand the impact of neglect on the developing child in their early years;
N know and be able to carry out the legal and procedural requirements that apply when neglect is identied.
