Lest We Forget: Remembering the Consequences of Child Neglect—A Clarion Call to “Feisty Advocates”

Abstract

It is widely acknowledged that, across the United Kingdom and the USA, childcare practitioners often struggle with cases of child neglect, because of the difficulties involved in attempting to define the problem at hand, and balancing these cases with others in the caseload that may appear more pressing, such as physical abuse. Consequently, in an attempt to refocus the lens of professional policy and practice, this article will profile a number of research studies that have highlighted the profound developmental deficits that neglect can cause, relative to other forms of child maltreatment, and a range of interventions that have proven to be effective with these types of cases. The article concludes with a discussion of the potential negative impact of the current financial crisis for neglected children.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dominic McSherry

Dr Dominic McSherry is Senior Research Fellow at Queen's University, Belfast