Uncertainty over when to report child neglect

MORE THAN 650 cases of child neglect were reported to social workers in the north-east last year, accounting for almost half of all child abuse reports.

The figures are up by more than 100 on the previous year. A study launched yesterday at a conference on child neglect in the Health Service Executive (HSE) North Eastern Area said the statistics proved neglect continues to be the most common form of reported child maltreatment in the region.

The study entitled Do you see what I see? Multi-Professional Perspectives on Child Neglect found doctors, public health nurses, teachers, psychologists and other professionals were sometimes unsure about when to report a suspected neglect case.