Safeguarding special: New multi-agency child neglect strategy 2025-29, practitioner guidance and toolkit

Posted on 28 August 2025 in News and updates

Neglect is the ongoing failure to meet a child’s basic needs and the most common form of child abuse. A child might be left hungry or dirty, or without proper clothing, shelter, supervision, or health care. This can put children and young people in danger. And it can also have long term effects on their physical and mental wellbeing.

Every child deserves to be loved, cared for and protected.  1 in 10 children have experienced neglect – NSPCC

Neglect can be difficult to recognise so we’re absolutely delighted to introduce the brand-new Multi-Agency Child Neglect Strategy and the Practitioner Guidance and Toolkit — another positive step in our ongoing journey to ensure every child in Devon is safe, seen and supported.

This launch marks a significant achievement in one of the Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership’s top priorities: improving the partnership response to child neglect. Developed in response to a series of serious incidents reviewed by our multi-agency Child Safeguarding Practice Review Group in 2024, the strategy and guidance has been re-written and co-produced by our multi-agency colleagues.

Thanks to the ideas from our partners and practitioners who work directly with children and families, we’ve tried to create a clear and easy-to-use strategy and guide, with tools that can help everyone who works with children. Whether someone is checking how a child is doing, making a plan to help, or working closely with a family, the toolkit can support them. It’s designed to help people feel more confident in what to do, work better together, and make sure children get the help they need.

By collaborating across agencies, we can get even better at recognising when children need help to make sure they get the right support. The strategy, guidance and toolkit will help us do that even more effectively. Together, we can make a real difference.

Let’s work together to keep children safe by noticing neglect early, acting quickly to help and by making sure this strategy, guidance and toolkit reaches every corner of our agencies — share it widely with your teams and colleagues so we can strengthen our collective response to child neglect.

You can find out more about the DSCP Mission, Aim and Priorities here Our mission, aim and priorities – Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership