Learning briefing: Thematic review – Child neglect

This briefing aims to provide a concise overview of the thematic review carried out on child neglect. It is for multi-agency practitioners, team managers and workforce leads to use as a tool to facilitate discussion and reflection by highlighting the key areas of good practice and areas for improvement that we found.

Learning Journey: What did we do and how did we do that?

In 2024, the Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership (Devon SCP) revisited its 2020 thematic review on child neglect. This review aimed to assess progress and identify ongoing challenges. The Quality Assurance Workforce Delivery Group (QAWDG) conducted the review using various methodologies, including:

• Reviewing local and national research and data
• Conducting a multi-agency tabletop audit
• Distributing practitioner and manager surveys
• Interviewing senior leaders from key agencies
• Holding locality partnership feedback meetings
• Conducting three Appreciative Inquiries to explore strengths and areas for improvement

What Good Practice Did We Find?

• Multi-Agency Collaboration: Effective collaboration among agencies, including the use of the Devon SCP Neglect Toolkit and GCP2 training, was noted. This helped practitioners recognise and respond to child neglect.
• Professional Curiosity: Many practitioners demonstrated high levels of professional curiosity, understanding the child’s lived experience and applying trauma-informed practices.
• Supervision and Case Management: Regular supervision and case management supported practitioners in building effective relationships with families and provided guidance on handling neglect cases.
• Engagement with Families: Efforts to build trusting relationships with children and families were evident, with personalised approaches to understand each child’s unique experiences.

What Else Did We Find?

• Inconsistent Training: There were variations in the consistency and confidence in using tools like the Devon SCP Neglect Toolkit and GCP2. Some practitioners lacked awareness of the multi-agency Neglect Strategy.
• Fragmented Information Sharing: Challenges in information sharing and coordination among agencies were identified, leading to gaps in intervention and support.
• Workforce Issues: Difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff led to inconsistencies in support and the risk of “start again syndrome,” where cumulative harm from ongoing neglect was not adequately considered.
• Pressure on Early Help Services: Early help services were under-resourced and overburdened, with long waiting lists and insufficient targeted support for families with complex needs.
• Barriers to Engagement: Families in rural or isolated areas faced additional challenges, such as limited access to services and transport barriers, making it harder for professionals to monitor and support them effectively.

What Can We Learn?

• Need for Consistent Training: Ensuring all practitioners receive consistent training on child neglect and trauma-informed practices is crucial for effective intervention.
• Importance of Information Sharing: Improved systems for information sharing and coordination among agencies are needed to provide a comprehensive understanding of a child’s situation.
• Value of Professional Curiosity: Encouraging professional curiosity and understanding of trauma-informed practices can enhance the quality of support provided to children and families.
• Addressing Workforce Challenges: Strategies to recruit and retain staff are essential to ensure continuity of support and effective intervention in neglect cases.
• Enhancing Early Help Services: Increasing resources and support for early help services can prevent the escalation of neglect and provide timely intervention for at-risk families.

What Are the Recommendations?

• Enhance Training and Consistency: Provide comprehensive and continuous training on professional curiosity and trauma-informed practice to ensure consistent application across all staff.
• Improve Information Sharing: Implement systems to consolidate information across agencies for a comprehensive understanding and response to the family’s situation.
• Strengthen Early Intervention: Develop robust early intervention strategies to provide timely and sustained support to at-risk families.
• Foster Multi-Agency Collaboration: Enhance multi-agency case reviews and supervision to ensure coordinated and aligned approaches.
• Address Workforce Issues: Focus on recruiting and retaining staff to reduce the risk of “start again syndrome” and ensure continuity of support.
• Review and Improve Escalation Processes: Undertake a review of the escalation process with a multi-agency lens and identify best practices.

What Can You Do?

• Participate in Training and CPD: Engage in training sessions on professional curiosity and trauma-informed practices to enhance your skills and knowledge. For managers – support your workforce to engage and ensure that they have the time to embed their learning into their practice.
• Share Information: Actively participate in information sharing and coordination efforts to ensure a comprehensive understanding of each child’s situation.
• Support Early Intervention: Advocate for and support early intervention strategies within your agency to provide timely support to at-risk families.
• Collaborate with Other Agencies: Foster strong working relationships with professionals from other agencies to ensure a coordinated approach to addressing child neglect.
• Focus on Retention: Contribute to efforts to recruit and retain staff within your agency to ensure continuity of support for children and families.  Also, ensure the working environment is resourced appropriately to contribute to staff retention
• Utilise Escalation Processes: Familiarise yourself with and utilise escalation processes to address disagreements and prioritise the child’s safety and wellbeing.

Useful resources

We are currently finalising our new, updated Child Neglect Strategy and Toolkit, which will be uploaded to our website by the end of May 2025.

The Making Sense of Child Neglect course on DeL is now part of the Devon SCP training programme, with one session per month. This is the key training you will need, but you can also enrol on our Tools to Assess Neglect course. Additionally, the Partnership are also running a multi-agency best practice event on child neglect across April, May and June 2025.

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