Child Neglect Definition - Child Neglect and Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

Munchausen's Syndrome refers to a psychiatric disorder where patients pretend to have illnesses, and therefore are subjected to many medical tests and surgical procedures.

Child neglect is as specific a finding as child abuse, though it is more common and often more devastating. Despite this, cases of child neglect are sometimes investigated and documented poorly, simply because the definition of neglect is not clear to the investigator, who then may not be sure what precisely to look for. A definition of neglect allows investigation, collection of evidence, documentation, and court proceedings. The cornerstone of neglect is the concept of parental duty. Parents have duties because, until many years after birth, the offspring of our species cannot look after their own basic biological needs and survival (this is quite unlike almost every other species on the planet). Our youngsters cannot gather food, protect themselves from the elements or from predators, or recognize danger. Thus, in the performance of this duty, parents do for children what the children cannot yet do for themselves. Parents thereby hugely decrease the chances of children's injury or early death.

From a practical standpoint, a parent fulfills this duty by doing certain things that promote growth, safety, and health (such as feeding the baby regularly, watching the toddler in the park, or taking the child to the doctor when sick) and protecting the child from harm (for instance, preventing a toddler from climbing a 10-foot ladder). For various reasons, parents cannot always promote growth, health, and safety to an optimal level, either because of their own limitations, some restraint on them by their environment, or other reasons. Also, not all harm is predictable or preventable. Therefore, parents must not be held to a standard of perfect care. When the parental care falls below a reasonable or prudent level, the child may be neglected.

The following is a working definition of the parental duty, against which neglectful parental care may be measured: The child has the right to expect, and the parent has a duty to reasonably and prudently provide, food, clothing, shelter, supervision, medical care, nurturance, and teaching.

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This is an overview of a booklet from the "Portable Guides to Investigating Child Abuse" series, recently published by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. To order the series, or any of the guides individually, call the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at 1-800-638-8736. (Metropolitan D.C. area can call the local number: 301-251-5500.)