Abstract
Cases of child neglect are now a significant proportion of the work coming into child protection agencies in all ‘western’ jurisdictions and this has grown considerably over the last 30 years. The same period has seen growing interest in trying to engage the wider community in preventing child maltreatment so that it becomes ‘everyone’s responsibility’. Both developments have important implications for developing public health approaches to child protection. The chapter draws on original research (Williams, Drawing the line: An exploration of how lay people construct child neglect. PhD Thesis University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield. Retrieved from http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/25505 The research was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) grant number ES/1024301/1, 2015) which explored how lay people construct child neglect and what they saw as the most appropriate response to neglected children. In doing so it raises a number of messages and challenges for practitioners and policy makers in relation to both how child neglect is defined and how best to engage lay people in responding to neglected children. The chapter argues that attempts to develop public health approaches to child neglect need to address these issues.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Figures for 1995 are based on the annual Department of Health Children and Young People on Child Protection Registers Year Ending 31 March and the figures for 2016 are based on the annual Department for Education Characteristics of Children in Need.
References
Action for Children. (2009). Child neglect: Experiences from the frontline. Retrieved from http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/media/95084/child-neglect-experiences-from-the-frontline.pdf.
Action for Children. (2011). Neglect in the summer holidays. Retrieved from https://yougov.co.uk/news/2011/08/09/neglect-summer-holidays/.
Action for Children. (2012). Keeping children safe: the case for reforming the law on child neglect. Retrieved from https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/sites/default/files/documents/5896.pdf
Action for Children. (2014). Why we should talk about child abuse, and not about Cinderella. Retrieved from https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/news-and-blogs/policy-updates/2014/april/why-we-should-talk-about-child-abuse-and-not-about-cinderella/
Bensley, L., Simmons, K. W., Ruggles, D., Putvin, T., Harris, C., Allen, M., & Williams, K. (2004). Community responses and perceived barriers to responding to child maltreatment. Journal of Community Health, 29(2), 141–153.
Brandon, M., Bailey, S., Belderson, P., & Larsson, B. (2013). Neglect and Serious Case Reviews. Retrieved from https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/neglect-serious-case-reviews-report.pdf
Bridge Care Consultancy (B.C.C.). (1995). Paul: Death through neglect. London: The Bridge Publishing House.
Burgess, C., Daniel, B., Scott, J., Mulley, K., Derbyshire, D., & Downie, M. (2012). Child neglect in 2011: An annual review. Retrieved from https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/media/3361/childneglectin2011.pdf.
Burgess, C., Daniel, B., Scott, J., Mulley, K., & Dobbin, H. (2013). The state of child neglect in the UK. Retrieved from https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/media/3270/2013_neglect_fullreport_v12.pdf
Burgess, C., Daniel, B., Scott, J., Dobbin, H., Mulley, K., & Whitfield, E. (2014). Preventing child neglect in the UK: What makes services accessible to children and families? Retrieved from https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/media/3214/preventing-child-neglect-in-the-uk_annual-review_march2014.pdf
Cawson, P., Wattam, C., Brooker, S., & Kelly, G. (2000). Child maltreatment in the United Kingdom: A study of the prevalence of abuse and neglect. London: NSPCC.
ComRes/Local Government Association (C.G.A.). (2009). Social work and child protection survey for the Local Government Association. Retrieved from http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090809160520/http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/aio/1738911
Council of Australian Governments. (2009). Protecting children is everyone’s business: National framework for protecting Australia’s children 2009–2020. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.
Daniel, B., Taylor, J., & Scott, J. (2011). Recognizing and helping the neglected child: Evidence-based practice for assessment and intervention. London/Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Davies, C., & Ward, H. (2012). Safeguarding children across services: Messages from research. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/183231/DFE-RR164.pdf
Dhooper, S. S., Royse, D. D., & Wolfe, L. C. (1991). A statewide study of the public attitudes toward child abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 15(1), 37–44.
Education Committee (Stuart Report). (2013). Children first: The child protection system in England. London: The Stationery Office Ltd.
Fern, E. (2001). Advanced focus group research. London: Sage.
Fisher, D., & Gruescu, S. (2011). Children and the Big Society: Backing communities to keep the next generation safe and happy. Retrieved from http://www.respublica.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Children-and-BS.pdf
Franklin, B. (2014). Citizen journalist or cyber bigots? Child abuse, the media and the possibilities for public conversation: The case of Baby P. In S. Wagg & J. Pilcher (Eds.), Thatcher’s grandchildren? Politics and childhood in the twenty-first century (pp. 27–45). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Franklin, B., & Parton, N. (2001). Press-ganged! Media reporting of social work and child abuse. In E. Brunsdon, M. May, & R. Payne (Eds.), Understanding social problems: Issues in social policy (pp. 233–247). Oxford: Blackwell.
Gardner, R. (2008). Developing an effective response to neglect and emotional harm to children. Retrieved from http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/nspccresearch/completedresearch/DevelopingAnEffectiveResponseToNeglectPDF_wdf56700.pdf
Gilbert, R., Widom, C. S., Browne, K., Fergusson, D., Webb, E., & Janson, S. (2009). Burden and consequences of child maltreatment in high-income countries. The Lancet, 373(9657), 68–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61706-7.
HM Government. (2015). Working together to safeguard children. Journal of Interprofessional Care 14, 363–373. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820020003919
HM Treasury. (2003). Every child matters. Cm. 5860. London: The Stationery Office.
Holland, S., Tannock, S., & Collicott, H. (2011). Everybody’s business? A research review of the informal safeguarding of other people’s children in the UK. Children and Society, 25(5), 406–416.
Hoyano, L., & Keenan, C. (2010). Child abuse: Law and policy across boundaries. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hutchinson, D. (2012). Helpline highlight: More people contacting the NSPCC with concerns about neglected children. Retrieved from http://nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/neglect-serious-case-reviews-report.pdf
Jones, R. (2014). The story of Baby P: Setting the record straight. Bristol: Policy Press.
Jütte, S., Bentley, H., Tallis, D., Mayes, J., Jetha, N., O’Hagan, O., Brookes, H., & McConnell, N. (2015). How safe are our children. London: NSPCC.
Kendall-Taylor, N., Lindland, E., O’Neil, M., & Stanley, K. (2014). Beyond prevalence: An explanatory approach to reframing child maltreatment in the United Kingdom: The most prevalent form of maltreatment, child neglect, gets the least attention from the public and policymakers. Child Abuse and Neglect, 38(5), 810–821.
Kimbrough-Melton, R. J., & Melton, G. B. (2015). Someone will notice, and someone will care’: How to build strong communities for children. Child Abuse and Neglect, Elsevier Ltd, 41(1), 67–78.
Kitzinger, J. (1994). The methodology of focus groups: The importance of interaction between research participants. Sociology of Health & Illness, 16(1), 103–121.
Korbin, J. E., & Coulton, C. J. (1996). The role of neighbors and the government in neighborhood-based child protection. Journal of Social Issues, 52(3), 163–176. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1996.tb01584.x.
Korbin, J. E., Coulton, C. J., Lindstrom-Ufuti, H., & Spilsbury, J. (2000). Neighborhood views on the definition and etiology of child maltreatment. Child Abuse and Neglect, 24(12), 1509–1527.
Laming, L. (2009). The protection of children in England: A progress report.
Lonne, B., & Parton, N. (2014). Portrayals of child abuse scandals in the media in Australia and England: Impacts on practice, policy and systems. Child Abuse and Neglect, 38(5), 822–836.
MacLeod, M. (1997). Child protection: Everybody’s business. Sutton: Community Care.
Masson, J. (2006). The Climbié Inquiry: Context and critique. Journal of Law and Society, 33(2), 221–243.
McLeigh, J. D. (2013). How to form alliances with families and communities: The provision of informal supports to families keeps kids safe. Child Abuse and Neglect, 37(5), 17–28.
McLeigh, J. D., & Melton, G. B. (2015). Children’s safety in community context. Child Abuse and Neglect, 41(1), 1–2.
Meadows, P., Tunstill, J., George, A., Dhudwar, A., & Kurtz, Z. (2011). The costs and consequences of child maltreatment. Retrieved from https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/costs-and-consequences-child-maltreatment.pdf
Melton, G. B. (2013). Programs aren’t enough: Child protection must become a part of everyday life. Child Abuse and Neglect, 37(5), 1–7.
NAPCAN. (2010). Help break down the wall community attitudes survey – Report to the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Retrieved from http://wcitlibrary.pbworks.com/f/NAPCAN_Survey_Report_FINAL_4_June_2010.pdf
Ofsted. (2011). The voice of the child: Learning lessons from serious case reviews: A thematic report of Ofsted’s evaluation of Serious Case Reviews from 1 April to 30 September 2010. Retreived from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/listening-to-children-in-serious-case-reviews
Parker, A., & Tritter, J. (2006). Focus group method and methodology: Current practice and recent debate. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 29(1), 23–37.
Parton, N. (1985). The politics of child abuse. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Parton, N. (1991). Governing the family: Child care, child protection and the state. London: Macmillan.
Parton, N. (1995). Neglect as child protection: The political context and the practical outcomes. Children and Society, 9(1), 67–89.
Parton, N. (2006). Safeguarding childhood: Early intervention and surveillance in a late modern society. Basingstoke: Palgrave/Macmillan.
Parton, N. (2014). The politics of child protection: Contemporary developments and future directions. Basingstoke: Palgrave/Macmillan.
Radford, J. (2010). Serious Case Review in respect of the death of a child: Case No. 14 (Khyra Ishaq). Birmingham: Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board.
Radford, L., Corral, S., Bradley, C., Fisher, H., Bassett, C., Howat, N., & Collishaw, S. (2011). Child abuse and neglect in the UK today. Retrieved from http://doi.org/304.
Rees, G., Stein, M., Hicks, L., & Gorin, S. (2011). Adolescent neglect: Research, policy and practice. London: Jessica Kingsley.
Scourfield, J. (2000). The rediscovery of child neglect. The Sociological Review, 48(3), 365–382.
Shoesmith, S. (2016). Learning from Baby P. London: Jessica Kingsley.
Smithson, J. (2008). Focus groups. In P. Alasuutari, S. Bickman, & J. Brannan (Eds.), The Sage handbook of social research methods (pp. 177–198). London: Sage.
Spilsbury, J. C., & Korbin, J. E. (2013). Social networks and informal social support in protecting children from abuse and neglect: Community ties and supports promote children’s safety. Child Abuse and Neglect, 37(S), 8–9.
Stewart, D. W., Shamdasani, P. N., & Rook, D. W. (2007). Focus groups: Theory and practice. London: Sage.
Sussman, S., Burton, D., Dent, C. W., Stacy, A. W., & Flay, B. R. (1991). Use of focus groups in developing an adolescent tobacco use cessation program: Collective norm effects. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 21(21), 1772–1782.
US Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. (2017). Child maltreatment 2015. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programms/cb/research-data-technology/statistics-research/child-maltreatment
Ward, P. (2008). Sheffield safeguarding children board serious case review: Child D: Executive summary. Sheffield: Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board.
Ward, H., & Brown, R. (2013). Decision-making within a child’s timeframe: A response. Family Law, February, 1181–1186.
Wilkinson, S. (2004). Focus group research. In D. Silverman (Ed.), Qualitative research: Theory, method and practice (pp. 177–198). London: Sage.
Williams, S. (2015). Drawing the line: An exploration of how lay people construct child neglect. PhD Thesis University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield. Retrieved from http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/25505 The research was was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) grant number ES/1024301/1.
Williams, S. (2017). Redrawing the line: An exploration of how lay people construct child neglect. Child Abuse & Neglect, 68, 11–24.
Willig, C. (2008a). Introducing qualitative research in psychology, (2nd ed.). Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill/Open University.
Willig, C. (2008b). Discourse analysis. In J. Smith (Eds.), Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods (pp. 160–185). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
YouGov/NSPCC. (2012). YouGov/NSPCC child abuse survey results. Retrieved from http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/79o3owjw18/YG-NSPCC-Archive-results-141212-child-abuse-UK.pdf
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Parton, N., Williams, S. (2019). ‘Everybody’s Responsibility’: Exploring the Challenges of Community Engagement in Child Neglect. In: Lonne, B., Scott, D., Higgins, D., Herrenkohl, T.I. (eds) Re-Visioning Public Health Approaches for Protecting Children. Child Maltreatment, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05858-6_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05858-6_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-05857-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-05858-6
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)