Question
What is neglect and what are the types of neglect?
Answer
As Porchia-Usher defines, chronic child neglect is an ongoing, serious pattern of deprivation of a child's basic physical, developmental, and/or emotional needs for healthy growth and development. Child neglect is more prevalent and difficult to resolve than other forms of child abuse. Let's take a look at the types of neglect.
Physical Neglect. The failure to provide necessary food, clothing, and shelter; inappropriate or lack of supervision.
Medical Neglect. The failure to provide necessary medical or mental health treatment.
Educational Neglect. The failure to educate a child or to provide for special education needs.
Emotional Neglect. The failure to meet a child's emotional needs and provide psychosocial support, or permitting the child to use alcohol or other drugs.
I want to point out that this information comes from the Child Welfare Information Gateway, one of the best references you're going to run across.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Child Abuse and Neglect: An Overview, by Marilyn Massey-Stokes.
