Neglect

Giving one single definition of Neglect is a difficult task. Many different definitions exist because of the numerous areas that Neglect can cover and there is often much confusion over the understanding of neglect.

Defining Neglect

For the purposes of the child protection system, the Department of Health defines neglect as:

'the persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child's health or development. It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to protect a child from physical harm or danger, or the failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child's basic emotional needs'. (Department of Health et al, 1999, p. 5).

Neglect can be children frequently going hungry or frequently having to go to school in dirty clothes. Some children are denied medical attention or are not taken to the doctor when ill, or are regularly having to look after themselves because parents went away or have problems to do with drugs or alcohol. Being abandoned or deserted; or having to live in dangerous conditions also constitutes Neglect. When primary needs such as food, clothing, shelter and medical care, and emotional needs such as love, are denied is accepted as Neglect. We can summarise many different definitions by using Dubowitz (1993) who defines neglect as occurring when the basic needs of the child are not met, regardless of cause.

Recent research and published data by organisations such as the NSPCC and Childhope have produced statistics that shock when you read them. For example the statistic that up to 6% of children experienced their parents / carers absence at some stage during childhood.
Therefore the absence of care and supervision would include ‘Home Alone’ children allowed to stay at home overnight without adult supervision under the age of 10 (often having to care for younger siblings) or those children allowed out overnight without parents knowing their final destination, sleeping arrangements or current wellbeing.

Other studies show a further 2% of children having to wear the same clothes to school on a regular basis and who often describe their homes as unclean.

Bill Stone (1998) Child neglect: practitioners’ perspectives has highlighted that Neglect has a lower profile than the other types of Child Abuse. While it is true to say that very rarely does Neglect reach the headlines or the public view as much as Sexual or Physical Abuse (apart from high profile cases such as Vistoria Climbie in North London). The major stumbling block for addressing Neglect would seem to be the dividing line between what is considered to be dangerous and what is not considered dangerous. Neglect that is chronic and long-term in nature may differ from a short period of transitory acute neglect, but either can endanger or be fatal to a child.

Numerous studies have sought to measure what actually constitutes Neglect

It can be broken down into the following areas:-

• Home Alone or Unsupervised.
• Inappropriate clothing.
• Lack of food, drink or shelter.
• Denial of personal hygiene or medical attention including dental care and medicines.
• Failing to protect the child from physical danger.
• Refusing to give the child either love, affection or attention.

Neglect constitutes the largest category of registrations on Child Protection records, and has increased over the last five years, whilst registrations for sexual abuse and physical injury fell.

Table A: Registrations to child protection registers in England during the years ending 31 March 1997 to 2001.

Department of Health (2001b).

Table B: Number of children and young people on child protection registers in England as at 31 March 1997 to 2001.

Department of Health (2001b).

Table A shows the number of registrations added throughout a calendar year, whereas table B shows the number of children on the child protection register at a particular point in time and is therefore a 'snapshot' of the number of children on the register.

Are there any signs that may indicate some form of Neglect?

There are a number of signs to look for that may suggest that Neglect is taking place BUT a child having one or even two of these signs does not necessarily indicate that there is any case of Neglect to answer. Children may be constantly hungry, suffering from poor personal hygiene. They may be constantly tired, display emaciation, or have untreated medical problems and have welfare concerns with the standard of their clothing. Some exhibit destructive tendencies, some try to run away or dodge school, often having few peers to mix with and often even less ‘friends’ that they interact or maintain social relationships with. Many will suffer with low self esteem and also have a reluctance for their parents / carers to be contacted. These signs observed individually may not constitute Neglect but one or more would certainly cause concern and a reason to further investigate.

What do we need to be aware of in our Football?

If we accept that in football we might only see our players 2-3 times a week then we will not get an overview of their home life or indeed if there is anything to worry about. But we will be informed enough to know that there may be certain signs and indicators of concerns and also that we have a Duty of Care to ensure that while they are with us they are always safe from any possible Neglect situation.

Appropriate Clothing

A concern that is often raised at Child Protection workshops is that of adequate clothing especially in our often unpredictable climate. This can be dealt with at the start of the season by thoughtful consideration of the players Code of Conduct, which would state that all players must arrive at training or games with appropriate clothing for the session. Suggesting that players must always have a training kit that includes a shirt, sweatshirt, waterproof top, tracksuit bottoms as well a dry change of footwear would ensure that the correct warm and dry items are available should they be needed. Children are always proud of the teams they support and will always want to wear their team’s shirts whenever they can. This may cause a problem if they want to wear it (and as their only shirt) during cold or wet weather or as often happens just after a birthday or Christmas. Once again the Code will solve this because they are expected to turn up in the expected attire.

Shin pads are always a concern but the F.A. ruling is that they must be worn so this must be stressed with the players. Often parents will have to be informed about what constitutes appropriate footwear because with the various surfaces we now train and play on the same pair of boots or trainers may not be suitable for every surface – in actual fact this may constitute Neglect if players are permitted to wear studded boots (not moulded) on all weather pitches or exceptionally hard ground where they can be a danger to themselves and others. Players should not be permitted to train or play in training shoes on extremely muddy pitches and in rain or wet conditions because they are a risk to themselves and others. Once again this should be covered in the Code of Conduct. If the adult responsible for the kit does not keep the kit clean and the players are forced to play in unclean kit then this is bad practice that could lead to an accusation of neglect.

Jewellery is often a concern because players are reluctant to remove it for training or for games. The FA has ruled that no jewellery is acceptable at all and it must be removed and not taped up. This too should be covered in your Code of Conduct.

Food / Drink

Are players underfed or suffering from possible malnutrition? Thankfully this would be an exceptional occurrence in our society but certainly we must be aware of the possibility. Do players bring a drink with them to training to offset the threat of dehydration especially during the hot weather. Many coaches and managers have their own supply of water bottles which they take to every session just in case the players forget to bring a drink or more likely finish their drink quickly. Obviously this area would require a maintained approach to Heath and Hygiene procedures to ensure regular cleaning of bottles and changing the water. Many adults give advice on diet and nutrition for youngsters, which, as long as it based on sound nutritional recommendations from published and respected sources should not be a problem. For more information please refer to the Nutrition section on this site. When your club goes abroad for a tour do you supervise their evenings out? Could they have access to alcohol and drugs? How would you ensure that they don’t get access? The trips and tournaments article may be useful to refer to.

Many of your players may have different dietary requirements either as a result of personal choice or religion. Providing only bacon rolls after each game to your team and the opposition presumes that everyone likes bacon and is permitted to eat it. Denying a child access to food while all their peers are eating is extremely insensitive and often alienates individuals especially when this could be sorted with a little pre planning and thoughtfulness.

Also there may be times when a player cannot either train or train to their full potential because of religious fasting. If a player has fasted from sunrise and is training with you before sunset they will not have been allowed to eat or drink anything at all, therefore your expectations of their work rate and performance will need to reflect this.

Adequate First Aid

Does your club have AND MAINTAIN a First Aid kit. More and more adults are taking basic First Aid courses to make themselves better aware of what procedures to follow should their players suffer injuries during football. A First Aid kit or bag purchased a number of years ago may have items that are no longer usable and have gone past the recommended user date. Many kits are often totally disorganised and lacking in sufficient items to make the kit even partly effective, so set a monthly or even fortnightly check of all First Aid equipment to ensure they contain items that can be used safely. Replenish stocks regularly.
The days when an adult would run onto the pitch carrying a bucket and sponge (commonly referred to in Folklore as ‘the magic sponge’) are thankfully nearly completely over now, as should be the ‘run it off’ advice given so freely by well meaning but non trained adults, that has cost so many young players their playing careers in the past.

Medical Knowledge

Each adult directly involved should be aware of all players that may have a medical condition that may require some action during their time with the team. Most parents and carers are comfortable about informing coaches and managers about their child’s medical requirements, however certain parents / carers and children wish to keep the medical condition strictly confidential and the coach / manager must respect this wish. Players participate with Epilepsy, Diabetes and many other illnesses or even disabilities which many years ago might have been considered a reason to exclude them from football. Coaches and managers are not expected to be highly trained physicians but with cooperation from parent / carer and enough information they can ensure that the player can participate with their peers and be assured that an adult is fully aware of their condition and has access to either resources or people who can be on hand if the need of immediate action arises.

Emergency Procedure

Do you have a pre arranged procedure for possible emergencies? Does each adult have all the necessary information and contact numbers for all the players. Does each adult know where the nearest first aid station is and are they also aware of any obstacles or access concerns that an ambulance may encounter if trying to get to a player. If there is a serious injury does the coach / manager know the procedure to follow particularly if the playing area is one where mobile phones cannot get a signal. Young children cannot be sent to get help on their own, adults cannot leave children by themselves to go and get help, adult’s cannot diagnose serious injuries themselves and make suggestions for treatment without medical qualifications. Each club and team should agree a set of emergency procedures to refer to should they have a serious injury or incident.

Self Evaluating your Behaviour towards Players

This is a very useful tool when we want to assess our behaviour and always ensure that we don’t allow ourselves to become complacent and miss possible areas of poor practice or abuse by others.

• Do I ensure that I don’t train or play players that are injured?
• Do I ensure that all players are correctly dressed for the conditions?
• Do I listen to players?
  * Do I take an interest in how the parents / carers treat their children?
• Do I make sure all players have drinks and not just at half or full time?

Dismissal from Training

This is often one of the most important aspects of a coaching session – the implications for Health and Safety of the players is at risk when this procedure is not carried out correctly. Many adults feel that their responsibility is over once they blow the whistle for the end of the session, in actual fact this is an aspect of the session that if not handled correctly could end in a fatality where a child could get knocked over or even abducted. All the players and their parents / carers should be made aware of the routine of both arrival at the venue and then the departure.

Allowing players to make their own way across dark fields or car parks is extremely poor practice as is parents waiting in large car parks after dark and expecting their children to find them amongst the many cars. Obviously for some parents they may have a younger child asleep in the car and cannot either waken or leave the baby alone so alternative arrangements such as another parent collecting a large group of players or the coach / manager walking their players to a pick up point where they can be collected. Allowing a large group of players to disperse in different directions with no set arrangement for immediate transfer of supervision responsibility is extremely bad practice and often dangerous.

Some children are permitted by their parent / carer to make their own way home, this should be stated in a letter to the coach / manager which clearly states that the intention is for the player to take a certain route and that they assume responsibility for the player once the session is over.

Action if you have concerns about the area of Neglect

If at any time you feel that one of your players has been the victim of any form of neglect that is serious enough to endanger them you must act at once. Remember it is not your role to be either the judge or jury in this matter BUT it certainly is your role to act in the best interests of the player. If you are the Child Protection official for the club you will know already how to handle this situation but if you are not you must report your information to the appropriate person or Social Services. Inaction in this area is not an option for any adult, you should write down any concerns with dates and make these available to the correct authority. Many children are neglected continually because other adults choose to ignore or excuse the situation when they should have acted.