A study completed by Horwath and Tarr in South East Wales, highlighted that on occasion some abused and neglected children in a family receive more attention that others, both in reports prepared for conference and the conference arena itself.
The children that were found to be marginalised included:
- Children in a large sibling group. The very young and those whose behaviour present a challenge to the parents and/or practitioners are likely to receive most attention.
- Children who internalise their problems rather than act out. Quiet withdrawn children who appear to be coping can be labelled as ‘resilient’. However, they may have learnt that this approach protects them from abusive or neglectful behaviour. These are vulnerable children who may well act out their distress through self-harm and even suicide attempts if their needs are not identified and met.
- Siblings of disabled children. Disabled children are more vulnerable to abuse and neglect than no-disabled children. However, in some situations the parent/s devote so much time and attention to the needs of the disabled child that their siblings’ needs are marginalised.
Further information:
Horwath, J. and Tarr, S. (2015) Child Visibility in Cases of Chronic Neglect: Implications for Social Work Practice, British Journal of Social Work (45 (5) pp1379-1394.