Child Neglect Prevention
What Is Child Neglect?
Child neglect occurs when children’s basic needs are not adequately met, resulting in actual or potential harm. Basic needs include adequate food, clothing, education, health care, nurturing and emotional support, and housing.
Child neglect is the most common form of maltreatment. Although pervasive and sometimes life threatening, it is often difficult to identify. There are different types of neglect:
- Physical neglect: A child’s need for adequate food, clothing, supervision, housing, or protection from the environment is not adequately met.
- Medical neglect: A child does not receive adequate medical, mental or dental health care.
- Supervisory Neglect or Inadequate Supervision: A child receives inappropriate supervision or is exposed to hazards.
- Educational neglect: A school age child does not receive appropriate educational services, including special educational services if needed. Home schooling should not be viewed as educational neglect.
- Emotional neglect: A child does not receive adequate emotional support, care, or affection.
- Environmental neglect: A child lives in an unsafe neighborhood, where he/she has limited opportunities or resources and may be exposed to environmental hazards.
There is no single cause of neglect. Instead, there are usually multiple and interacting contributors at child, parent, and community levels. Examples of contributing family risk factors include a child with a disability, and a parent with low intellectual ability or limited knowledge about child development. Community risk factors for child neglect include parental unemployment and lack of community support, as well as burdens associated with poverty. Importantly, positive relationships, including high-quality parenting and care, are protective factors against child neglect.
Key Facts
Approx. 60%
or about 412,000, of all substantiated cases of child maltreatment in 2018 were victims of child neglect.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
3/4
Child neglect contributed to about 3/4 of child maltreatment fatalities in 2018.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Prevention
Currently, our understanding of child neglect is limited, however a deeper understanding of the causes of neglect is essential to guide and refine prevention approaches to tackle it.
The CDC provides a number of strategies that aid in reducing or preventing child abuse and neglect. These include strengthening economic support to families, changing social norms to support parents and positive parenting, providing quality care and education early in life, enhancing parenting skills to promote healthy child development, and intervening to lessen immediate and long-term harms.
How We’re Addressing Child Neglect
Prevent Child Abuse America’s research, programs, and affiliate network is focused on preventing child neglect through several practical solutions for creating the conditions for safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments for all children, families, and communities.
We work to strengthen economic supports through public policy work at the federal and state levels.
Our signature home visiting program, Healthy Families America, helps to ensure children have a strong start.
We promote social norms that protect against sexual violence and support positive parenting through public awarenes and engagment campaigns.
Outcomes
Impact
The impact of neglect on a child can be very serious, both the short- and the long-term. Neglect can harm a child’s development (e.g. lower self-esteem and less positive peer relationships), as well as social/behavioral problems (e.g., conduct disorder or participation in delinquent behaviors). The degree to which neglect impacts a child depends upon the child’s age; frequency, duration, and severity of neglect; the child/caregiver relationship; and presence of protective factors.
Cost
Given the prevalence and extensive consequences of child abuse and neglect on children and families, there are also enormous societal costs involved. A 2018 report estimated the lifetime economic burden of substantiated child abuse and neglect cases and child fatalities is approximately $592 billion nationwide. Moreover, the U.S. spends large sums of money funding the child welfare system and allocates very few resources or time to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. For example, in 2016 the U.S. spent about $30 billion on child welfare services, whereas in FY2020, Congress only allocated $56 million to Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) services — the largest dedicated federal source for primary prevention funding for child abuse and neglect.
Latest Child Neglect Resources
See more-
Economic Burden of Known Child Maltreatment Cases in 2018 by State
This study provides social work and other advocates with state-level estimates of the economic burden of child maltreatment and facilitates the interpretation of the findings to be used in advocacy efforts.
Research Reviews
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Environmental Factors and the Intergenerational Transmission of Child Maltreatment
In this research review we focus on a group of studies looking at issues related to the intergenerational patterns of child abuse and neglect and factors that may interrupt this cycle.
Research Reviews
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FrameWorks Institute: Talking About Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention
Explore our compendium of research and resources on how Americans think about child development and how to increase public support for policies that support prevention and intervention policies that reduce child abuse and neglect.
Toolkits & Guides
Frequently Asked Questions About Child Neglect
Neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment, although often children experience multiple types of maltreatment. In 2018, approximately 412,000 children were victims of child neglect, this accounts for nearly 60% of reported child maltreatment substantiated cases. Additionally, neglect contributes to about three-quarters of child maltreatment fatalities.
There is no single cause of neglect. Instead, there are usually multiple and interacting contributors at child, parent, and community levels. Examples of contributing family risk factors include a child with a disability, and a parent with low intellectual ability or limited knowledge about child development. Community risk factors for child neglect include parental unemployment and lack of community support, as well as burdens associated with poverty. Importantly, positive relationships, including high-quality parenting and care, are protective factors against child neglect.
The impact of neglect on a child can be very serious, both the short- and the long-term. Neglect can harm a child’s development (e.g. lower self-esteem and less positive peer relationships), as well as social/behavioral problems (e.g., conduct disorder or participation in delinquent behaviors). The degree to which neglect impacts a child depends upon the child’s age; frequency, duration, and severity of neglect; the child/caregiver relationship; and presence of protective factors.
Programs:
- Strengthening Families Program: https://strengtheningfamiliesprogram.org
- Safe Environment for Every Kid (SEEK): https://seekwellbeing.org
- Project DULCE: https://cssp.org/our-work/project/dulce/
General:
- CDC CAN Risk and Protective Factors Overview: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/riskprotectivefactors.html
