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Child Development & Early Education vocabulary · Working with Families and Safeguarding

Neglect

Meaning in child development & early education, with examples

/nɪˈɡlekt/nounCore term

In child development & early education, neglect means: A form of abuse in which a child's basic needs, such as food, clothing, hygiene, safety, health care or affection, are not met over a period of time.

In Turkish: ihmal, bakımsız bırakma

How it is used

One of the four categories of abuse in UK safeguarding training, alongside physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Staff talk about signs of neglect and record them carefully. It is also a verb: to neglect a child.

Example sentences

  1. Often arriving hungry and in dirty clothes can be a sign of neglect.

  2. Neglect is often noticed through a pattern of small concerns over time.

Common collocations

  • signs of neglect
  • emotional neglect
  • physical neglect
  • abuse and neglect
  • safeguardingEverything an organisation does to protect children from harm, abuse and neglect and to promote their health, safety and well-being.
  • child protectionThe procedures and actions taken to protect a particular child who is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm from abuse or neglect.
  • disclosureThe moment when a child tells an adult, directly or indirectly, that they have been harmed or are at risk of harm.
  • designated safeguarding leadThe trained member of staff who leads on safeguarding in a school or setting, receives staff concerns and decides when to contact children's social care.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Working with Families and Safeguarding

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