The study, commissioned by charity Action for Children and undertaken by the University of Stirling, found that poverty, alcohol and substance misuse, inability to access family support services and mental health issues are among the key factors that can lead to child neglect.
As well as the role of fathers, the report expressed the importance of targeting families by increasing numbers of services such as Sure Start children’s centres, increasing public awareness of child neglect to help with prevention, and encouraging parents, carers and children to seek help and get support.
Understanding the scale of neglect is also central to tackling the problem, according to the recommendations, which propose that regular snapshots of the extent of neglect are needed to understand if the problem is worsening or improving. Action for Children will publish its first national annual review of child neglect in the autumn.
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