Prof. CHAN Yuk-chung Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Child neglect, delinquency and family education Presented at the 2011 International Conference Crime Prevention and Offenders Rehabilitation – Prospects and Challenges Organized by The China Prison Association and the The Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, Hong Kong Held at the University of Hong Kong between May 2011.

Objectives To delineate the nature, causes, and consequences of child neglect To identify the relationship between child neglect and delinquency To examine family education as a remedy to both child neglect and juvenile delinquency To explore compulsory family education as an option in helping neglectful families and those with children and young people at risk of delinquency

Child Neglect a type of maltreatment that refers to the failure by the caretaker to provide needed, age-appropriate care although financially able to do so, or offered financial or other means to do so (US – NCANDS) persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development” (UK –DfES) the failure to provide children with the basic necessities of life (NSW, Australia –DoCS) severe or a repeated pattern of lacking of attention to a child’s basic needs that endangers or impairs the child’s health or development (HK - Social Welfare Department)

Components of child neglect inadequate food inadequate clothing inadequate shelter inadequate supervision inadequate medical care inadequate emotional care inadequate education exploitation, and exposure to unwholesome circumstances. (Rose and Meezan (1993)

Types of child neglect Physical neglect harm or endangerment resulting from inadequate nutrition, clothing, hygiene, and supervision Emotional neglect failure to provide adequate affection and emotional support, and cases of psychological neglect are commonly marked by parents who are detached and uninvolved with the children Education neglect failure to comply with laws requiring school attendance, consistently permitting truancy without legitimate reasons, as well as an inattention to special education needs Medical neglect extraordinary inattention to the child's health care needs, such as failure of unwarranted delay to bring medical care to a child with health problem

Effects of child neglect on children failure of parents to provide for the basic physical and psychological needs of the children often leads to impediments in physical growth and even nonorganic failure to thrive (Drotar, Eckerle, Satola, Pallotta, & Wyatt, 1990). The inadequacy of early brain development has permanent and irreversible consequences, leading to problems in physical, cognitive, emotional, and social domains. neglect in early life is found to be detrimental to subsequent cognitive development that continues to handicap children’s academic functioning in later years (Kendall-Tackett and Eckenrode, 1996). it hampers the social development of the children. There was a negative relationship between neglect and children’s social competence (Herrenkohl, Kerrenkohl, Egolf, and Wu, 1991). neglected children were found to have more behavioral problems at home and at school (Wodarski, Kurtz, Gaudin, and Lowing, 1990), and child neglect is a good predictor of delinquency (Starr, McLean, Keating, 1991).

Child neglect and delinquency Child neglect Brain/Cognitive Under-development Academic Under-development Low social competence Youthful at-risk behaviors Delinquent behaviors

Family education as an option Family education be widely used as an instrument to promote positive and responsible parenting as a strategy for preventing child neglect and delinquency in the general population; Early identification of parents with difficulties and strengthening parenting competence at different stages of the family life cycle through parent/family education Mandatory/court-ordered parent education should be an option for parents who have persistently neglected their children and who have offended laws against child neglect in HK

Thank you