An Ofsted report has warned that neglect in older children can go ‘unseen’ and that this group of children may be ‘skilled at hiding the impact of neglect’. The report looked findings from targeted inspections on multi-agency responses to neglect in older children.
The report warns that professionals do not always consider an older child’s behaviour as being in the context of neglect and so they can fail to take action. It advises that parents be helped to develop the skills to parent their older children and increasing the effectiveness in adult services of identifying parents who may neglect their older children.