Addressing Neglect: Understanding the Root Causes

A Family in Crisis

We received a referral from DCJ regarding a family with three daughters. The eldest, a 12-year-old high school student, was frequently running away from home, calling the child protection helpline asking to be removed, and experiencing significant hygiene issues that were noticed by teachers and peers.

This was not the first referral we had received for this family. Three years earlier, concerns had been raised, but due to challenges in engaging the family—largely related to the presence of the father—we were unable to intervene effectively. Since then, the situation had worsened.

Recent home visits by DCJ found the living conditions to be unkempt, unhygienic, and cluttered. The primary concerns were neglect and hygiene issues affecting both the children and their mother. DCJ referred the family to Jannawi with the goal of supporting the mother in overcoming her trauma, particularly grief from the recent passing of her father. However, the referral failed to fully recognize the significant impact of domestic violence and coercive control perpetrated by the younger children’s biological father—who had returned to the home.

DCJ viewed him as a ‘positive’ influence, citing his ability to help get the children to school and assist around the house. Our position was clear: he was not the solution—he was the cause of the mother’s distress and inability to cope.

A Shift in Focus: Addressing the Real Issues

For years, interventions had centred on the mother’s struggles—her difficulty maintaining the home, attending appointments, and managing daily responsibilities. These approaches overlooked the deeper issues at play: coercive control, psychological harm, and unresolved trauma.

Our work with this family took a different approach:

• Recognising domestic violence as the primary issue rather than neglect.
• Addressing coercive control and psychological harm as central concerns.
• Supporting the mother through trauma-informed interventions rather than blaming her inability to cope.
• Engaging the 12-year-old in mental health support, where she disclosed ongoing psychological harm, verbal abuse, and rejection by her stepfather, as well as his mistreatment of her mother.

Since shifting the focus to these root causes, the mother has been open and engaged with our services. Her willingness to work with us challenges the assumption that she was simply ‘uncooperative’—a common but damaging misinterpretation of trauma responses.

The Bigger Picture: Neglect as a Symptom, Not the Cause

This case is not unique. Current ROSH (Risk of Significant Harm) report data in our district lists neglect as the leading reason for child protection reports, followed by parental drug and alcohol issues. However, these concerns are rarely standalone problems. More often than not, they are symptoms of unaddressed domestic and family violence or past trauma.

When DFV is ignored or minimised, mothers are unfairly blamed for their inability to care for and protect their children. The result? Children are removed and placed in out-of-home care (OOHC), while the underlying issues remain unresolved.

A Call for Change

This cycle must end. Addressing neglect requires looking beyond surface-level symptoms and tackling the root causes—domestic violence, coercive control, and untreated trauma. Until the system prioritizes these factors, families will continue to fall through the gaps, and mothers will be blamed instead of supported.

At Jannawi, we remain committed to advocating for change, supporting families, and ensuring that interventions are trauma-informed and responsive to the realities of domestic and family violence.