Affluent Neglect: Spotting the signs

When we consider children who are neglected, it can be easy to imagine a child who is dirty, hungry, alone, hurt. This idea of a neglected child is, in some cases, accurate and somewhat perpetuated by the media and possibly our own experiences as professionals. How many times do we see an advert or training video with a child curled up in the corner looking sad and hungry? These stereotypes can often mean that we are in danger of forgetting about children who don’t present in these ways but are equally suffering from neglect. The NSPCC define neglect as the “ongoing failure to meet a child’s basic needs and the most common form of child abuse. A child might be left hungry or dirty, or without proper clothing, shelter, supervision or health care. This can put children and young people in danger. And it can also have long term effects on their physical and mental wellbeing”.

Neglect is not isolated only to families living in deprived areas or with a lower socio-economic status – neglect can occur in any family. The term ‘’affluent neglect’’ is used to describe the neglect suffered by children living in wealthier families. All children face risks every day, however there are arguably preconceived ideas that children from affluent families are more sheltered from the risk of neglect. We know as professionals, that this is not the case. By definition neglect can include “lack of supervision”, something which we see often in families whereby parents are working long hours and children are left alone, either in the community or at home. This can then pose significant risk to children in terms of the people that they are socialising and communicating with, both in the community and online.

Signs and indicators of affluent neglect are often difficult to recognise and evidence, mainly because it centres around emotional abuse. With parents often working longer hours and children with other childcare providers or alone at home, there can sometimes be an emotional disconnect between child and parent. This can also coincide with parents having increased expectations of their children and a much higher level of pressure for children to achieve well academically, which then impacts upon their mental and emotional wellbeing.

A prominent UK researcher in this field is Professor Claudia Bernard who, through her work, suggests that children from more affluent families who experience neglect are less likely to experience physical forms (although not impossible) than the following:

• Emotional disconnect
• Pressure to succeed
• Drug and alcohol use (by parents and/or children)
• Domestic abuse

In the study Professor Bernard conducted at Goldsmith’s University, it was shown that there was a high level of substance misuse and domestic abuse in more affluent families, which only came to light when going through parent separation and was rarely known about otherwise. Parents were often high functioning and were more able to meet their child’s basic needs or hire help, such as childcare, to support them.

Why is Affluent Neglect so often overlooked?

There are several reasons as to why affluent children are often overlooked, one reason being that these families are rarely on the ‘’services radar’’ and are not known to services or safeguarding teams. When services are involved, there can be hostility from affluent parents who often have professional job roles themselves, and do not wish to engage in this level of support. This then means that it can become more difficult to improve outcomes for children. While social workers are aware of their power as professionals, they also face hierarchical power relations between themselves and affluent parents, which meant that parents are often very knowledgeable about the workings of the system and much more likely to question the system or decisions made by professionals.

In Professor Bernard’s national study, exploring how social workers engage with parents from affluent backgrounds in suspected child neglect cases, research showed that affluent parents used their social and financial leverage to manipulate the social care system. Parents sometimes obstructed interventions, such as threatening legal action or directly contacting senior managers.

As professionals we have to take into account ‘unconscious bias’ and the assumptions that are often made that neglect is less likely to occur in wealthy families. Frequently, children who start at a school with new and expensive items can be seen as ‘’well looked after’’, children who are on holiday several times during the academic year and have lower attendance may be seen as ‘’lucky’’, despite the impact on their education. Parents who are difficult to get hold of or don’t attend school events such as parents evening can often be overlooked and perhaps justified as parents are working.

Staff training on neglect often focuses on children from poorer backgrounds and spotting the signs and indicators when children aren’t fed or their basic physical needs are not being met. This further enforces the notion that neglect presents as poor home conditions or a child being physically neglected.

What can we do to make sure we respond effectively to affluent neglect?

• Be mindful of our own bias and views on neglect.

Neglect is difficult to consider objectively and our own views and opinions can, if we’re not mindful, impact our decision making. Working in schools with children from various backgrounds can also cloud our level of what’s “good enough” or expected from families.

• Record every concern in order to build a bigger picture.

Neglect is arguably the most difficult form of abuse to evidence and escalate to children’s social care, when necessary. By documenting what we call “pennies in the bank” those smaller concerns can sometimes accumulate to a larger risk and help with onwards referrals.

• Be mindful of how we respond to parents…

and the power they may have on our decision making. As research has shown, affluent parents can sometimes demonstrate a reluctance to work with agencies and may hold their own opinions of the how the system works, often asking to speak with more senior figures. Being aware that sometimes parents can overpower us or make us question our decision making is OK and being aware of this and reaching out for support is crucial. Confidence in your decision making, concerns about the child and that you are following the correct procedure is needed to ensure the best outcomes for the child.

• Consider professional safeguarding supervision.

Whether on a one-to-one basis or as a team, having open and honest discussions about our concerns with cases can support us in making sure we remain child-focused, objective and that we feel supported.

• Ensure you are accessing and offering appropriate training and CPD.

Making sure that staff across your setting are aware of affluent neglect and that neglect isn’t isolated to particular groups of society is important. Being aware of what emotional abuse looks like and making sure this is documented and shared with the Designated Safeguarding Lead is essential.

If you would like any further support or more information on affluent neglect or any other areas of safeguarding, contact us by emailing: safeguarding@oneeducation.co.uk.

References

Safeguarding Children in Affluent Families – Professor Claudia Bernard