Background
The impact of neglect on children and young people is profound. It causes significant and long-lasting distress to children and often leads to poor health, educational, and social outcomes. In some cases, it can prove fatal.
The number of recorded cruelty and neglect offences in England and North Ireland are the highest they have been for a decade.
The vision of STSCP is: to reduce the incidence and impact of neglect, and offer the right support to children and their families as soon as difficulties are identified.
Neglect
Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and / or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy because of maternal substance abuse.
Once born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:
- provide adequate food, clothing, and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment)
- protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger
- ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate caregivers)
- ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment
Neglect differs from other forms of abuse because it is:
- frequently passive
- not always intentional
- more likely to be a chronic condition rather than crisis-led, which impacts on how we respond as agencies
Responding to neglect
If you think neglect is occurring in a family, household, or for an individual child or young person, your next course of action is:
- record concerns, conversations, and interactions
- use a chronology
- assess and review
- discuss concerns with the child, parent/carer and family members as appropriate
- Think Family, Work Family
Contacts
Early Help (universal and targeted support)
Discuss concerns with either Redcar & Cleveland or Middlesbrough’s Early Help teams.
For Middlesbrough Early Help Assessment Team, call 01642 726004 or email MiddlesbroughMACH@middlesbrough.gov.uk.
Partners assessments (for those that share) should be sent to strongerfamiliesforpartners@middlesbrough.gov.uk.
For Redcar & Cleveland Early Help Assessment Team, call 01642 130678.
All completed partner-led Early Help Assessment (EHA) forms should be sent to EarlyHelp@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk.
Significant harm
Discuss concerns with your relevant safeguarding lead.
For Middlesbrough Multi-Agency Children’s Hub (MACH), call 01642 726004 or email MiddlesbroughMACH@middlesbrough.gov.uk.
For Redcar & Cleveland Early Multi-Agency Children’s Hub (MACH), call 01642 130700 or email RedcarMACH@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk.
If there’s an immediate risk of harm, call the police on 999.
Further resources
1001 critical days – The Wave Trust research into the effect of neglect in a baby’s early days
Adolescent neglect framework – guide for practitioners
South Tees neglect strategy (2024-2027)
The challenges facing today’s teenagers (The Children’s Society)
World Health Organization guidance on adolescent development