All alone: What is child neglect?
What is neglect?
Neglect is when you’re not given the love, help and care that you need in order to grow up happy and healthy.
What does it look like?
It could mean not having a safe place to live, not having baths or showers, not eating properly, having old or worn out clothes, not going to school or not getting help when you're sick or hurt yourself.
What might it feel like?
You might feel lots of things. You could feel sad, lonely, upset, scared, tired, hungry or sick.
What happens when we are neglected?
Being neglected might mean you fall behind at school, have trouble making friends or feel stressed or unsafe at home.
It’s NOT your fault
There’s nothing you can say or do that makes it OK for someone to neglect you.
Remember, it’s not your fault. You deserve to be taken care of!
What can you do to cope?
Find a safe place to hang out for a while. Do things you enjoy - play music, see friends, read, draw or play a game.
Find something to do each day that takes your mind off the hard stuff for a while.
Find someone to talk to
Find somebody you can trust and feel safe with. It might be an older relative or friend, a Kids Helpline counsellor or a school teacher.
Remember to keep talking to people until somebody listens and helps you.
