Child Neglect
Different forms of neglect: (continued)
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4. Medical Neglect occurs when a parent or caregiver denies or delays needed health care for a child. The federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act does not require parents to provide medical treatments for children that are against parental religious beliefs. Individual states, however, are not restricted from charging neglect in cases such as these. Failure to provide preventive medical, dental, and mental health care, as well as failure to follow medical recommendations, are also considered forms of neglect.
Failure to provide medical care is very closely associated with poverty. A parent who is not seeking dental or medical services for her child may not be doing so intentionally. Rather, he does not have the resources needed to pay for the care. Since the lack of care is not intentional in nature, it should not be considered neglect. These are situations in which the family is best served by referral to social service agencies for additional support and resources.
