This article examines six forms of child neglect committed by parents or caregivers: physical, medical, supervisory, emotional, educational, and abandonment. The research posits that, in general, neglect is a passive type of maltreatment with physical, psychological and sexual aspects. Neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment, although due to difficulties in measuring and defining this typology of abuse, it often attracts less attention than other forms of maltreatment. International statutory agencies' neglect reports are briefly compared with the 1997 Children, Young Persons and Their Families Agency statistics. Several of the harmful effects of neglect are explored, including poor school achievement, failure to thrive, developmental delay, brain damage, and fatal neglect. Parental, family and system factors are examined regarding child neglect.

Social Work Now (13) August 1999 : 11-18