What constitutes “neglect”?
Neglect occurs when a child is not provided with the minimal acceptable level of the essentials of life as a result of an act or failure to act by the parent or caretaker, and which was not the result of something out of the control of the parents or caretakers. The essentials of life include food, shelter, clothing, medical and dental care, education as required by law, personal care, proper supervision, and protection from physical, sexual or emotional harm.
In 1974, the U.S. Congress passed the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, which set forth a minimum definition of abuse and neglect. It reads as follows: “child abuse and neglect” means, at a minimum, any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm. In addition, each state has set forth its own definitions of neglect and/or abuse. (To find how your state defines the terms, go to this page on the National Clearinghouse for Child Abuse and Neglect Information website.) Cases of neglect constitute the vast majority of those reported to child welfare agencies, and some experts, including Richard Gelles, dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Work, have questioned the prevailing definitions. “We were a little bit too aggressive in defining what is child abuse and neglect,” says Ge
