Neglect – 6. What is affluent neglect?

London Grid for Learning (LGfL) produced a blog on affluent neglect and here’s an excerpt from it: Affluent Neglect (lgfl.net)

There is no specific definition of ‘affluent neglect’ and the research in this field is limited. But the term draws our attention to the less acknowledged fact that children can be neglected in families where there is some degree of material wealth.

A prominent UK researcher in this field is Professor Claudia Bernard and, in her work, she suggests that children from more affluent families who experience neglect are less likely to experience physical forms (although not impossible) than the following:

• Emotional disconnect
• Pressure to succeed
• Drug and alcohol use (by parents and/or children)
• Domestic abuse

Children from wealthier families are more likely to experience emotional neglect, which can make it challenging to evidence (it’s not usually tangible or physical) and to demonstrate impact (commonly the impact is seen in children’s mental wellbeing, most commonly  through behaviour and/or emotions, which is very difficult to attribute to particular experiences of care).