Page 1 of 10 HD 497 Lecture 8 – Neglect Dr. Margaret Young Slide 1 [Slide title] HD 300 Child Abuse & Neglect [Slide content] Unit 8 Neglect [Audio] In this unit, we are going to be discussing child neglect. Slide 2 [Slide title] General Definition [Slide content] • Failure of parents/caregivers to provide minimally adequate care and attention to the basic needs of the child • Tempered by the notion of community standards of care • Consistent omission of care is considered neglectful in all communities [Audio] And we will begin by defining child neglect. It is the failure of parents or caregivers to provide minimally adequate care and attention to the basic needs of the child. However, it is tempered by the notion of community standards of care because that may vary from community to community and from country to country. In some countries, a child running around in just a diaper or with no cloth at all is not unusual at all. In most middle-class American neighborhoods, that would be considered neglectful most of the time. However, consistent omission of care is considered neglectful in all communities. Slide 3 [Slide title] General Definition [Slide content] • Fostering delinquency and lack of adequate supervision are generally viewed as more serious forms of child neglect. • Failing to bathe a child regularly or change a child’s clothing are viewed as less serious forms of neglect. [Audio]Page 2 of 10 Fostering delinquency and lack of adequate supervision are generally viewed as more serious forms of child neglect. Failing to bathe a child regularly or change a child’s clothing are viewed as less serious forms of neglect. Slide 4 [Slide title] Legal Definition [Slide content] • Inadequate physical care • Absence of or inadequate medical care • Lack of prenatal care • Cruel or abusive treatment [Audio] Now, let’s move on to the legal definition of child neglect. Inadequate physical care. This can come to the attention of the courts when considering whether or not to remove a child from parental custody or at least to intervene in some way. Absence of or inadequate medical care. Now, parents may or may not be able to afford medical care as we will talk about religion and abuse later on in this course. Some religious groups also withhold medical care from children. Sometimes the state intervenes on behalf of these children. Lack of prenatal care. Lack of prenatal care has recently come into the radar’s screens of law makers. For example, one woman, who had two children die from complications surrounding home births and lack of prenatal care, was ordered by the court to have medical care with her third pregnancy. When she refused, she was taken into custody and confined to a hospital through the remainder of her pregnancy. This is one case where the state stepped in on behalf of her child. Recently in Salt Lake City, a woman was told that she needed to have cesarean section because she was caring twins and they were showing signs of fetal distress. She refused and waited at least a week before finally having to have a C section and by that time, one of the twins was dead. This is in the court process now, so by the time you get this course, there may be some type of outcome from that case. Cruel or abusive treatment is also viewed by the court as child neglect. And this can range from locking a child out of the house to confining a child in a closet or the trunk of a car. For example, former co-worker of mine was concerned about cleanliness in her house and her young daughter was not allowed in the house unless the mother was home. If the daughter got home from school before the mother returned from work, she had to wait outside on the porch or go into a friend’s home. Slide 5 [Slide title] Legal Definition [Slide content] • Improper supervision • Exploitation of the child’s earning capacityPage 3 of 10 • Unlawfully keeping the child out of school • Exposing the child to criminal or immoral influence [Audio] Improper supervision is also a legal definition and people may disagree on how much supervision is necessary for a child. For example, in New York City, middle and upper class parents arrange “play dates” for their children. They are not allowed on the streets or in the parks without adult supervision. Poor children living in inner cities, on the other hand, (same city) have very little supervision. Very young children, of course, need much more supervision than older children. An unsupervised two-year old, who is playing in an unfenced yard close to a street, that would be cause for concern. Allowing very young children to wander in malls or video arcades on their own can also be dangerous. A father who was gambling in a Las Vegas casino well into the wee hours of the morning left his young daughter unsupervised and she was attacked and killed in a restroom there. Exploitation of the child’s earning capacity. Some parents take children’s earnings from paper routes, baby-sitting, and so on and use it to buy drugs or alcohol. This is different than needing all-family income to keep food on the table. Unlawfully keeping a child out of school. Now, home schooling is popular in some areas and may work very well, but this law refers to children being kept out of school and not offering the children adequate educational experience elsewhere at home or anywhere else. And exposing the child to criminal or immoral influence. It is not unusual to hear of adults sheltering runaways only to use them to shop lift, pick pockets, or to run drugs. Slide 6 [Slide title] Incidence of Abuse & Neglect [Slide content] • Neglect: 49.9% • Physical: 22.3% • Sexual 13.6% • Emotional 5.1% • Other 9.1% [Audio] The incidence of reporting of neglect is relatively low. In fact only 9.1 percent of reported child abuse and neglect cases are specifically dealing with neglect. It isn’t considered as urgent by most people, for example physical or sexual abuse would more likely be reported, but never the less, it is a serious type of abuse. Only 9 percent is reported. Slide 7 [Slide title] Socio-Economic Status (SES) [Slide content]Page 4 of 10 • Negative correlation between income and neglect (low income = • higher probability of neglect) - Low income - Low educational and employment levels - Poor housing and living conditions - Larger, multi-problem families - Minority