Assessment of Neglect

by Child Welfare Information Gateway

(Page 10 of 15)

Effective intervention to prevent or remedy child neglect is dependent on accurate and continuing assessment. Assessment is an ongoing process that begins with the first contact and continues throughout the life of a case.

Indicators of Neglect

The assessment process begins with identification of the indicators of neglect; that is, the specific parental inadequacies resulting in the unmet basic needs of the child. For example, a toddler left unsupervised outside daily for an hour or more at a time; severely unsanitary or dangerous conditions in the home; failure to keep medical appointments for a child's serious health problem; nonorganic failure to thrive; or, chronic, unexplained absences from school are specific indicators of neglect. It is also important to determine whether the condition is chronic or a recent change.

Helping professionals must always remember that neglect means lack of minimally adequate care and be aware of cultural and social class differences and norms affecting child care. For example, the minimum age at which a child is expected to be able to care for a toddler varies among Hispanics, lower income African-Americans, and middle class whites. Older children in these families are trained to care for younger siblings and have learned basic safety skills, including who to contact in emergency situations. Child care and supervision is a responsibility shared by extended family members, neighbors, or friends in lower income African-American, Native American, and Hispanic families. Assessment of adequacy of supervision in these families must include these substitute or supplemental care providers.

Similarly, assessment of the adequacy of the size, structure, and physical condition of housing and household furniture and appliances must be considered in the context of the limited housing options that conditions of poverty allow many families of color. The unavailability of adequate low-rent housing becomes a question of community neglect, rather than child neglect on the part of parents who are denied access to more adequate housing by reason of economics or discrimination.

Problems Identified by the Parents

Obtaining the parent's own perspectives on the family's problems and their causes is essential. Parents' perceptions of problems and priorities may be quite different from that of professional helpers. Chronically neglectful families are typically poor, with multiple problems. Therefore, it is important to identify and set priorities among the family's neglect-related problems. A mother's concern about money to keep utilities on or to forestall eviction must come before the caseworker's concerns about teaching nonabusive approaches to disciplining children.

Gaining the cooperation of neglectful parents is often difficult, but necessary for effective intervention. Recognizing and giving attention and assistance to the problems identified by the parents are critical to obtaining parental cooperation and commitment to improved parenting.

Causes/Barriers to Provision of Adequate Care

To change a pattern of neglect, the helping professional must address the causes rather than the symptoms. For example, if an infant is malnourished due to parent neglect, CPS intervention would be very different for a mother who lacked knowledge about how and what to feed her baby than for a mother whose abuse of alcohol resulted in the baby's malnourishment.

Assessments should include examination of problems, causes, and barriers at all system levels, that is, individual, family, organizational/community, and cultural. It is equally important to identify and acknowledge the strengths, coping skills, and resources of parents and other family members that may be mobilized to reduce the risk of further maltreatment. The availability and accessibility of informal social network supports and formally organized supportive services should also be considered in the assessment.

About the Author

www.childwelfare.gov
Formerly the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information and the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse, Child Welfare Information Gateway provides access to information and resources to help protect children and strengthen families. A service of the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.