Contributing factors

Neglect does not happen for one single reason. It usually arises from a combination of contributing factors including pressures, vulnerabilities, and environmental factors that make it difficult for parents and caregivers to meet a child or young person’s needs.

Parental Factors

These relate to the caregiver’s own circumstances, health or capacity:

• Mental health difficulties – depression, anxiety, personality disorders, or untreated mental illness can reduce a parent’s ability to respond to a child’s emotional or physical needs.
• Domestic abuse – Fear, control and constant stress can preoccupy the non-abusive parent and limit their capacity to meet the child’s needs. Children may also be directly impacted by chaos or trauma in the home.
• Substance or alcohol misuse – Drug or alcohol dependence can impair judgement, routines, supervision and prioritisation of the child’s needs.
• Learning disability or limited parenting knowledge – Some caregivers may not fully understand child development or what adequate care looks like at different ages.
• History of trauma or being neglected themselves – Intergenerational patterns are common, parents who experienced neglect may struggle to provide consistent care.

Family and Environmental Factors

These factors influence stress levels and the family’s ability to function:

• Poverty and financial stress – Lack of resources can contribute to inadequate housing, poor nutrition, or limited supervision but poverty alone does not cause neglect.
• Unstable or unsafe housing – Frequent moves, homelessness or overcrowding can make routines and caregiving difficult.
• Social isolation – A lack of supportive networks of family, friends and community removes protective factors and leaves parents struggling at home.
• Poor access to services – Barriers to healthcare, education or welfare support can allow small issues to escalate.

Child-related Factors

These don’t cause neglect, but they can increase caregiving demands:

• Health or developmental needs – A child with disabilities, chronic illness, or behavioural needs may require more intensive care, which some families struggle to provide without support.
• Prematurity or very young age – Infants and babies are vulnerable because they rely entirely on caregivers for every need.

Parenting Capacity Issues

These relate to how parents manage their role day-to-day:

• Poor routines and lack of structure – Inconsistent feeding, sleeping, or supervision patterns can quickly lead to neglect.
• Difficulty prioritising the child’s needs – Parents may be overwhelmed by their own problems or unaware of the cumulative harm neglect causes.
• Lack of emotional availability – Even when physical needs are met, emotional neglect can occur when caregivers are absent, withdrawn or unresponsive.

Systemic and Social Factors

Wider systems can contribute indirectly:

• Ineffective or delayed professional response – Missed opportunities to intervene, poor interagency communication or failing to understand the whole family context can allow neglect to persist.
• Cultural or community norms – Occasionally, expectation about child-rearing or low trust in services may delay help-seeking or engagement with services.

Neglect is typically driven by multiple overlapping issues and understanding these underlying factors helps professionals identify risk early and provide meaningly, targeted support providing a whole system and multi-systemic response looking at the whole family people within the child’s life.

When assessing neglect, it is essential to look beyond the presenting concerns and explore the underlying issues that may be affecting the parent or carer’s ability to meet their child’s needs. A whole family relationship based approach considers the root causes, not just the symptoms, ensuring that support is tailored, co-ordinated and effective.

It's essential assessments do not become dominated by the adult’s difficulties at the expense of understanding the child’s lived experience. While parental mental health, domestic abuse, substance misuse or disability are important factors to explore, the primary consideration must remain how these issues impact the child’s safety, development and daily life. Practitioners should continually review key questions:

• What is it like to be this child?
• What are the risks or unmet needs arising from the parent’s circumstances?
• Are their needs being met?

The child-centred lens ensures that professional curiosity, direct work with the child, and observation of their presentation and environment remain paramount. By triangulating parental accounts with the child’s voice and objective evidence, practitioners can avoid being overly adult-focused and ensure analysis and decision-making prioritise the child’s welfare whilst addressing contributing factors.

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Useful links

• Visit our.fife.scot/gethelp for information about financial support available for families.

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• Neglect Strategy

• Neglect Guidance

• Neglect Toolkit

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