Image description

A blue circle with a 6-way divide and a smaller dark blue circle in the middle which says: “Neglect”

The upper left division contains the text: “Physical Neglect. Where a parent/carer does not provide appropriate clothing, food, cleanliness and/or living conditions.”

The upper right division contains the text: “Medical Neglect. Where a parent/carer minimises or denies a child’s illness or health needs and/or fails to seek appropriate medical attention or administer medication or treatment.”

The right division contains the text: “Nutritional Neglect. Where a child does not receive adequate calories or nutritional intake for normal growth (also sometimes called ‘failure to thrive’). At its most extreme, nutritional neglect can take the form of malnutrition or in extreme cases obesity.”

The lower right division contains the text: “Emotional Neglect. Where a parent/carer is unresponsive to a child’s basic emotional needs. They may fail to interact or provide affection, undermining a child’s self-esteem and sense of identity. (Most experts distinguish between emotional neglect and emotional abuse by intention; emotional abuse is intentionally inflicted, emotional neglect is an omission of care.)”

The lower left division contains the text: “Educational Neglect. Where a parent/carer fails to provide a stimulating environment or support a child in their school activities. They may fail to respond to any special needs and fail to comply with state requirements about school attendance.”

The left division contains the text: “Lack of supervision
and guidance. Where a parent/carer fails to provide an adequate level of supervision and guidance to ensure a child’s safety and protection from harm. For example, lack of stair gate or fire guard; medication not put out of a child’s reach; a child may be left alone or with inappropriate carers, or appropriate boundaries about behaviours (under-age sex or alcohol use) may not be in place.”