Conceptualisation of child neglect: A Ghanaian practice narrative

Abstract

Child neglect incidents are the most frequent cases reported to the Department of Social Welfare in Ghana. Therefore, an effective approach to inform practice decisions to curb the numbers is of great importance. Using a qualitative research design, 28 Practitioners’ and parents’ narratives on the perception and causes of child neglect were explored. The study revealed that there is a convergence and divergence of views on how child neglect is conceptualised. The findings suggest the need for practitioners to intensify awareness on some of Ghana’s cultural practices, such as inheritance expectations, that hinder better outcomes for children.

Decision-Making on Child Neglect: Ghanaian Social Workers’ Views and Experiences

“…For the Ghanaian practitioners, child maintenance generally refers to instances where parents, especially fathers, fail to provide money for food, shelter, clothing and nonpayment of children's school fees (Manful & Abdullah, 2018), whereas child custody cases are defined as a situation in which either of the parent is seeking legal custody of his/ her child(ren). In the conduct of their duties, social workers at the Department of Social Welfare conduct counselling and case conferences with parents aimed to identify solutions to a reported case of child neglect.…”

Towards Culturally Specific Solutions: Evidence from Ghanaian Kinship Caregivers on Child Neglect Intervention

“…First, the district is classified economically among the bottom five per cent of districts in Ghana with an estimated figure of 58.7 per cent unemployed citizens aged between 15 and 64 years (Ghana Statistical Service, 2014). The high rate of unemployment among the youth and adult population coupled with the high rate of poverty in the district predicts a high prevalence of child neglect because poverty is a major predisposing factor for child neglect in Ghana (Manful and Abdullah, 2018). Also, communities in the district have been identified as a common place for kinship care practice (Cudjoe et al, 2019), which confirms the report that kinship practices are prevalent in rural communities in Ghana (Kuyini et al, 2009).…”

“…Questions indicated on the interview guide involved how kinship caregivers considered their care as means to address parental child neglect. Prior to the interviews, the varied definitions of child neglect as found in a Ghanaian study (Manful and Abdullah, 2018) were explained to the research participants. Examples of key interview questions included: how can the kinship care arrangements be helpful to children who are at risk of parental neglect?…”

“…Therefore, identifying context‐specific solutions for child neglect that are congruent with the cultural practices of given communities is sine qua non . Although there is no specific data on child neglect prevalence in the Ghanaian context, recent studies found child neglect to be one of the common maltreatment incidents reported to child welfare authorities (Manful and Abdullah, 2018; Manful et al, 2020). Common neglectful behaviours identified in the study included parents' abandonment of children and parents' failure to meet children's nutritional, health, education and emotional needs (Manful and Abdullah, 2018).…”

Statutory neglect and care in a pandemic

“…The typology of institutional abuse identified by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), for example, includes factors such as run-down or overcrowded establishment(s); insufficient staff or high turnover resulting in poor-quality care; and not providing adequate food and drink, or assistance with eating (SCIE, 2012). There is no internationally agreed definition of neglect in adult care, and conceptualisations of neglect can vary according to different cultural contexts (Manful and Abdullah, 2018). However, there are a plethora of local and regional definitions.…”