Introduction

Many practitioners are concerned that the needs of adolescents may be less readily identifiable than those of more overtly dependent, younger children. While much practice for those involved in children's services consists of work with teenagers, challenges remain in identifying the risk of adolescent neglect and in responding to it effectively. This chapter examines the core areas that present obstacles to successful multi-agency practice in respect of understanding and addressing neglect in teenage years.

The vital importance of protecting and enabling younger children is indisputable. In line with a commitment to the well-being of all children, practitioners are keenly aware that adolescence represents a period in childhood when opportunities need to be maximised in order to reap later benefits in a well-rounded adulthood. This adolescent period of child development is well known for its challenges (Aldgate et al, 2005), not least in terms of children who are coming to grips with establishing a secure identity (Danielet al, 1999). It is thus perhaps unsurprising that children of all ages, including adolescents, are seen to be neglected. In England and Wales, neglect is the main initial reason for being the subject of a child protection plan, accounting for 41% in the year ending 31 March 2013 (Department for Education, 2013), with almost a quarter of all children between the ages of 10 and 15 years. In extreme cases, life is placed at risk, with approximately a quarter of all serious case reviews (SCRs) focusing on teenagers as victims, of whom 10% are aged 16 or over (Rees et al, 2011). As the chapter by Jenny Pearce in this book indicates, adolescents form the majority of those targeted by perpetrators of sexual abuse in recently reported cases of extensive child sexual exploitation. Clearly, the teenage years can be fraught with difficulties and neglect is likely to form part of the experience. The concerning issue is that adolescent neglect remains in danger of continuing to receive scant policy attention, with a corresponding lack of consolidation in practice and in research.

This chapter draws on a research project that was one of 11 studies in the government-funded Safeguarding Children Research Initiative (Davies and Ward, 2012).