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CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECTUSER MANUAL SERIESChild Neglect: A Guide forPrevention, Assessmentand InterventionU.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesAdministration for Children and FamiliesAdministration on Children, Youth and FamiliesChildren's BureauOffice on Child Abuse and Neglect

Child Neglect: A Guide forPrevention, Assessment, andInterventionDiane DePanfilis2006U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesAdministration for Children and FamiliesAdministration on Children, Youth and FamiliesChildren’s BureauOffice on Child Abuse and Neglect

Table of ContentsPreface.1acknowledgments. 31.PurPose.and.overview. 72.definition.and.scoPe.of.neglect. .neglect. ve.factors. t.of.cHild.neglect. 49Structured.Assessment.Measures.52Child Neglect: A Guide for Prevention, Assessment, and Interventioni

6.cHild.neglect.Prevention.and.intervention. ctices.for.Intervention.68Conclusion.71endnotes. 73aPPendices:ii.aPPendix.a—glossarY.of.terms. nt. ing.cHild.aBuse. ervices.reviews. 101Table of Contents

PrefaceEach day, the safety and well-being of somechildren across the Nation are threatened bychild abuse and neglect. Intervening effectivelyin the lives of these children and their families isnot the sole responsibility of any single agency orprofessional group, but rather is a shared communityconcern.Since the late 1970s, the Child Abuse and NeglectUser Manual Series has provided guidance onchild protection to hundreds of thousands ofinterdisciplinary professionals and concernedcommunity members. The User Manual Seriesprovides a foundation for understanding childmaltreatment and the roles and responsibilities ofvarious practitioners in its prevention, identification,investigation, assessment, and treatment. Throughthe years, the manuals have served as valuableresources for building knowledge, promoting effectivepractices, and enhancing community collaboration.Since the last update of the User Manual Series inthe early 1990s, a number of changes have occurredthat dramatically affect each community’s responseto child maltreatment. This is true particularly in thearea of neglect. Both the field and the communityincreasingly recognize the impact of many factors onneglect, such as poverty, unemployment, and housing,as well as individual and family characteristics. Thechanging landscape reflects increased recognitionof the complexity of issues facing parents and theirchildren, new legislation, practice innovations,and system reform efforts. Significant advancesin research have helped shape new directions forinterventions, while ongoing evaluations help us toknow “what works.”The Office on Child Abuse and Neglect (OCAN)within the Children’s Bureau of the Administrationfor Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Departmentof Health and Human Services (DHHS), hasdeveloped this third edition of the User ManualSeries to reflect the increased knowledge base andthe evolving state of practice. The updated andnew manuals are comprehensive in scope whilesuccinct in presentation and easy to follow, andthey address trends and concerns relevant to today’sprofessional.While the User Manual Series primarily addressesthe issues of child abuse and neglect, this manualdelves deeper into the root causes, symptoms,and consequences of neglect, as well as theinterdisciplinary ways to prevent both its occurrenceand recurrence. Readers of Child Neglect: A Guidefor Assessment, Prevention, and Intervention alsomay be interested in Child Protective Services:A Guide for Caseworkers, which goes into moredepth on issues such as family assessment andcase planning. They also may have interest in ACoordinated Response to Child Abuse and Neglect:The Foundation for Practice, the keystone for theseries, which addresses the definition, scope, causes,and consequences of child abuse and neglect. ItChild Neglect: A Guide for Prevention, Assessment, and Intervention

presents an overview of prevention efforts and thechild protection process. Because child protectionis a multidisciplinary effort, The Foundation forPractice describes the roles and responsibilities ofdifferent professional groups and offers guidanceon how the groups can work together effectively toprotect the safety, permanency, and well-being ofchildren.User Manual SeriesThis.manual—along.with.the.entire.Child Abuse and Neglect User Manual fm. Preface

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSAuthordiane. dePanfilis,. Ph.D.,. M.S.W.,. is. the. Associate.Dean. for. Research. and. an. Associate. Professor. imore,.where. she. teaches. social. work. practice. and. .the.doctoral.program. . She. is. also. director. of. the. Institute. p.between.the. schools. of. social. work. and. medicine. and. evel.conducting.program.evaluations. and. providing. training. and. itor.of.the.Handbook onChild Protection Practice.and.is.a.former.president.of.the. American. Professional. Society. on. the. Abuse. of.Children.Contributing AuthorsJeannie. newman,. M.S.W.,. M.I.B.S.,. a. consultant.with. Caliber,. an. ICF. International. Company,. has.held. policy. and. direct. practice. positions. in. tivated.an. extensive. network. in. various. related. professional.fields,. including. domestic.violence,. fatherhood,. or.the.User Manual Series.lindsay. ritter. taylor,. a. former. consultant. with.Caliber,. an. ICF. International. Company,. worked.on. projects. relating. to. various. child. welfare. e.briefs.highlighting. findings. from. the. National Survey ofChild and Adolescent Well-being,. a. national. sample.of. children. who. had. been. abused. or. neglected.Additionally,. she. worked. with. the. Caliber. technical.assistance. and. evaluation. teams. on. the. ImprovingChild Welfare through Systems of alth.and.Human.Services.on.a.variety. of. child. welfare. issues,. including. foster. sues.Jean. strohl,. a. consultant. with. Caliber,. an. ICF.International. Company,. works. as. a. senior. writer/editor. . She. has. more. than. 15. years. of. experience.in. writing. about. the. influences. of. family. and. vention.Child Neglect: A Guide for Prevention, Assessment, and Intervention

She. also. has. contributed. to. many. publications. on.the. subjects. of. cultural. diversity. and. understanding.the. underlying. patterns. of. beliefs. and. ssian).ACknowledgment of Prior 3.as.ChildNeglect: A Guide for Intervention by. James. Gaudin,.Jr.,. Ph.D. . The. prior. version. and. the. author’s. rd. Dubowitz,. Ph.D.,. University. of. bster,.Texas. Department. of. Protective. and.Regulatory.Services.(retired)teChniCAl Advisory PAnelThe. following. were. members. of. the. January. 2001.Technical.Advisory.Panel.for.the.User Manual Seriescontract. . The. organizations. identified. reflect. n,.DC. nts

AdditionAl Pittsburgh,.PA.The. third. edition. of. the. User Manual Series. Irene.Bocella,. Federal. Task. Order. Officer,. and. .Susan.Orr,.Associate. Commissioner,. Children’s. Bureau,. as. well.as. Sidonie. Squier,. Director,. and. Peter. Germanis,.National. Policy. Expert,. Immediate. Office. of. produced.by.Caliber,.an. ICF. International. Company,. Fairfax,. VA,. ild Neglect: A Guide for Prevention, Assessment, and Intervention

ChAPTEr 1Purpose and ment.or.investigation.of. reports. of. child. abuse. or. neglect. . It. also. reatment.has.occurred.or.is.likely.to.occur.CPS. does. not. work. alone. . Many. community.professionals—including. law. enforcement. officers,.health. care. providers,. mental. health. professionals,.educators,. legal. and. court. system. personnel,. and.substitute. care. providers—are. involved. in. efforts. to.prevent,. identify,. investigate,. and. treat. child. abuse.and. neglect. . In. addition,. community-. and. faithbased. organizations,. substance. abuse. estic.violence,.extended. family. members,. and. concerned. citizens.play. important. roles. in. supporting. families. and. in.keeping. children. safe. from. harm. . Typically,. CPS.is. the. lead. agency. in. coordinating. the. efforts. of. .complex.aspects.of.neglect.Other.manuals. in. this. series,. A Coordinated Response toChild Abuse and Neglect: The Foundation for Practiceand Child Protective Services: A Guide for Caseworkers,.provide. fundamental. information. that. sential.casework. functions. . This. manual,. Child Neglect: AGuide for Assessment, Prevention, and Intervention,.covers. neglect’s. definition,. causes,. impact,. als,.reiterates.some. of. their. most. important. points,. and. addresses.the.following.topics: Definition.and.scope.of.neglect; Impact.of.neglect; Risk.and.protective.factors; Assessment.of.child.neglect; Child.neglect.prevention.and.intervention.Child Neglect: A Guide for Prevention, Assessment, and Intervention

ChAPTEr 2Definition and Scopeof NeglectChild. neglect. is. the. most. common. type. of.child. maltreatment.1. . Unfortunately,. neglect.frequently. goes. unreported. and,. historically,. has.not. been. acknowledged. or. publicized. as. greatly. as.child. abuse. . Even. professionals. often. have. given.less. attention. to. child. neglect. than. to. abuse.2. . One.study. found. that. caseworkers. indicated. that. or.neglect.3.In. some. respects,. it. is. understandable. why. violence.against. children. has. commanded. more. bruises.and.scars,. whereas. the. signs. of. neglect. tend. to. be. e.just.as.detrimental. . In. fact,. some. studies. have. shown. that.neglect. may. be. more. detrimental. to. children’s. use.4whAt is negleCt?How. neglect. is. defined. shapes. the. response. to. t.children.and. to. improve. their. well-being—not. to. blame. fies.as.neglect,.its. seriousness. or. duration,. and,. most. groups.(e.g.,. child. protective. services,. court. systems,. ls.within.these. agencies. and. groups. . The. definitions. also. are.used. for. different. purposes. within. the. child. welfare.field. . For. example,. a. medical. doctor. may. view. a.parent. as. neglectful. if. the. parent. repeatedly. This.may.or. may. not. legally. be. considered. neglect,. ifficult.to.do,.leading. to. inconsistencies. in. policies,. practice,. glect,.it. is. nearly. impossible. to. compare. research. f.consensus.in.answering.these.questions: caring.for.a.child? What. action. or. inaction. by. a. parent. or. other.caregiver.constitutes.neglectful.behavior? ction.be.intentional?. d Neglect: A Guide for Prevention, Assessment, and Intervention