Why didn’t anyone help me sooner?
This is Jake.
At 15, he was finally removed from his home due to neglect.
But the signs were there for years.
In his case taking food,
missing school,
wearing the same clothes every day.
Neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment.
But because it often deepens over time, it can be hard to spot.
Each incident can seem small, isolated, until harm accumulates.
The practitioners around Jake wanted to help.
But information wasn't shared between agencies.
Professionals relied on what his parents said,
without checking the reality.
Children like Jake need us to look deeper.
That starts with naming neglect when you see it.
Terms like ‘poor home conditions’
or ‘unsafe sleeping’ can soften what's really happening.
Structured,
evidence-based tools can support clear and objective assessments.
And if it's neglect, name it
in your conversations and in your records.
It also means being curious about what's behind a child's actions.
Jake taking food wasn’t poor behaviour,
it was a sign he wasn’t being fed.
When we see behaviour that causes concern,
we should ask: what is this behaviour telling us?
Children need safe spaces to share what daily life really looks like.
That means taking the time to listen,
and ensuring their voices shape every assessment.
And agencies need to work together.
Schools, health services, police and social care -
each hold a piece of the picture.
Only by sharing and checking that information
can we see a child’s lived reality.
Neglect isn’t always easy to spot
and these are challenges many practitioners face.
But with earlier intervention
and a child-centred approach,
we can develop a safeguarding system that doesn't neglect neglect.
For more learning and guidance, visit the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel (CSPRP) website
and learning hub.