Running Head: CHILD NEGLECT AND SELF-ESTEEM

The Impact on child neglect and self-esteem

Jill Rasmussen, MSW, LCSW
SOWK 317 Social Work Methods: Generalist Practice with Children and Families
When a person thinks about child neglect, the first thing that may come to mind is a child not being taken care of physically. In fact that is what child neglect is about. “Children are neglected when they are deprived of minimally adequate food, clothing, shelter, education, medical care, and nurturing” (Dubowitz, 1999, p. 91). We can safely say that a child is neglected when these basic needs are not met. Children are being ignored every day; they are being deprived of clothes, food, love, affection, and even of an education. The lack …show more content…

Not everyone that has a low-income neglects their children; it has a lot do with the individual and how they handle situations like poverty.
Another cause of child neglect could be being a single parent with multiple jobs, or maybe even being unemployed. Some may not have the job they desire. They may not be happy with their low paying job either. Some may have had an education but where unable to find a job in the particular field they hoped so, so now they are forced to settle for a less paying job. Poverty plays a big part in all of this. It may also be that the parent has multiple jobs and is never home to really take care of the child and his/her needs. Once a parent has a commitment with different employers, he/she may not be as available to the child, as when he/she was unemployed. We also have to take into consideration that the parent may not have had the proper education. They feel that holding two different positions is what they need to do in order for them to live a normal life. By having two jobs, they risk having a good relationship with their children, the relationship that they may have had before employment, but they see it as providing for the family and helping the family get out of poverty. Parenting is not something that comes naturally; you learn how to become a good parent as you go along. Parents make several mistakes as they go along but they are interested in the well being of