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There are 6 main types of neglect as outlined by Horwath, 2007.
A parent/carer minimises or denies a child’s illness or health needs and/or doesn’t seek appropriate medical attention or administer medication and treatment.
A child does not receive adequate calories or nutritional intake for normal growth. At its most extreme, nutritional neglect can take the form of malnutrition or obesity.
A parent/carer is unresponsive to a child’s basic emotional needs. They may not interact or provide affection, undermining a child’s self-esteem and sense of identity. (Most experts distinguish between emotional neglect and emotional abuse by intention; emotional abuse is intentionally inflicted, emotional neglect is an omission of care).
A parent/carer does not provide appropriate clothing, food, cleanliness and/or living conditions.
A parent/carer does not provide a stimulating environment or show an interest in the child’s education at school/education provision. They may not respond to any special needs and not comply with state requirements about school attendance.
Find out more about Educational neglect
A parent/carer does not provide an adequate level of supervision and guidance to ensure a child’s safety and protection from harm. For example, a child may be left alone, abandoned, left with inappropriate carers, or they may not be provided with appropriate boundaries about behaviours.
In addition to the above types of neglect, we can develop our understanding of how parent / carer intentions can impact on the child. Professor Ray Jones identifies three types of drivers behind neglect in his article The conundrum of neglect, 2016.
Passive neglect is where parents can be ground down and exhausted by previous and current circumstances. In this situation the parents can be overwhelmed and/or can have a lack of awareness of the lived experience of their child.
This type of neglect calls out for a response which is first of all about helping and caring for the parent so that they have the energy, support, direction and the means to parent adequately. This can be about reducing their isolation and helping them to build up their parenting strengths and own sense of self.
Chaotic neglect is where parents may have limited understanding or focus on the needs of their child. They are not lacking in energy, and may be very active, but may focus more so on themselves than their children. For example, their child’s shoes may be two sizes too small, they may be left unsupervised, and their eczema may be left untreated for months, but it is left to professionals each time to highlight these and other issues to the parent in order to get them addressed.
This type of neglect requires the parent to be supported to understand the lived experience and needs of their child. The parent needs to be supported to understand the key needs of their child.
This is deliberate and intentional. It is about anger and control. It is where a parent or parents turn on and scapegoat a child or children and may be with only one amongst several children becoming the focus and target of parental anger.
The child might be seen by the parent to be linked with memories of traumatic or hated events or relationships, or the threat directed at the child might be exhilarating for the adult who is excited by feeling powerful and controlling. There may also be domestic abuse and controlling behaviour from one parent towards the other parent.
A very real danger is there might be a rapid and unseen escalation to severe abuse.
Active or wilful neglect requires a quicker and decisive response with support to parents to clearly communicate the risks and worries and what needs to change.
By imagining what daily life feels like for a child experiencing neglect, we can begin to understand the challenges they face. Reflecting on the different types of neglect helps us think about the impact on their physical and emotional wellbeing.
For example:
Always ask:
“What is life like for this child?”
“Do I truly understand their experience, both inside and outside the home?”
