Identifying and Responding to Child Neglect: Exploring the Professional Experiences of Primary School Teachers and Family Support Workers

Abstract

This study aimed to explore primary school teachers' and family support workers' experiences of working with families and children with suspected or confirmed child neglect. Two in‐depth, semi‐structured focus groups with four primary school teachers and six family support workers explored the experiences of the two separate professions. Two hypothetical vignettes describing emotional and physical neglect were used to aid discussion. A qualitative, inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the focus group data. Despite professionals wanting to act when neglect is first identified (early intervention), this was often not common practice. Professionals highlighted that child neglect, in particular emotional neglect, was often not deemed ‘serious enough’ to report, and would not be reported until a bigger ‘jigsaw puzzle’ of evidence had been collated. Professionals struggled with policies and funding that impact on their ability to respond in every case of child neglect as well as multiagency working difficulties, including perceived confidence in their roles and how other professionals view their work and professional opinions. Child neglect, especially emotional neglect, must be rated as equally serious as other forms of child maltreatment necessitating intervention, and professionals must be given support and funding to achieve this. Key Practitioner Messages The consequences of prolonged child neglect should be better understood and recognised. Resources and support provided early may prevent long‐term serious harm. Training on sensitively discussing with parents how to provide appropriate care for their children and how to challenge appropriately other professionals may help enhance professionals' confidence in speaking up and taking action. Innovative use of universal provisions such as breakfast or after‐school clubs may be welcomed more by parents.

Factors affecting frequency of child maltreatment in South Korea

“…It should be noted that emotional abuse is likely to be underreported as it is difficult to recognise and measure. Not only that, but variations seem to exist in what constitutes emotional abuse (Bullock et al, 2019; Hamarman et al, 2002). The results emphasise that more research is needed on the frequent occurrences of emotional abuse as children suffering from emotional abuse often exhibit negative symptoms such as anxiety, peer rejection and behavioural problems (Marshall, 2012).…”

Perceptions of Child Maltreatment Among Professionals and the Public in Singapore

“…As professionals cope with the frequent exposure to cases of child maltreatment, they might also be inevitably desensitized toward maltreatment behaviors and may consequently perceive them as being less serious (Wright et al., 2006). A study of social workers suggest that such desensitization may occur if professionals repeatedly experienced minimal progress when handling suspected cases of maltreatment (Bullock et al., 2019). Perhaps, beyond training for professionals on the identification and reporting of maltreatment, more could also be done to reduce desensitization of maltreatment cases among professionals, to ensure that potentially maltreated children receive the treatment and services they might need.…”

Palestinian and Norwegian Kindergarten Teachers' Perspectives on Psychosocial Support: A Qualitative Study

“…Psychosocial support is also connected to the school setting in terms of improving behavior and preventing behavioral problems and dysfunctions of the child (Bierman et al, 2013;Mahon et al, 2020). Psychosocial support toward children with particular difficulties such as trauma, divorce, or child abuse is emphasized (Kolltveit et al, 2012;Bretherton et al, 2013;Bullock et al, 2019). Some studies focus on the learning environment and the role of social and psychological support.…”