The NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) Office of the Senior Practitioner commissioned the Australian Centre for Child Protection to work in partnership with FACS to provide evidence from the research literature to inform the development of an updated FACS policy on neglect and other practice resources. Specifically, the Australian Centre for Child Protection were contracted to provide a brief report comprising two components:

1. An overview of the key concepts in defining neglect; and
2. A systematic review of reviews investigating the common risk factors for neglect

Simultaneously, the NSW FACS Office of the Senior Practitioner will undertake a review of the literature on the impacts of neglect.

As the purpose of this report is to inform NSW FACS, the focus (particularly within Section 1: Key definitional concepts) is on identifying issues of particular relevance to statutory child protection and their implications for practice.