Too much hesitation surrounding child neglect

People tend to hesitate as long as possible if they feel that a child may be subject to neglect.

This is the view of Signhild Johannesen, the acting manager of the Children’s Welfare Agency in Tórshavn.

“We’re seeing too many instances where people hesitate to inform the authorities when they suspect that a child is suffering from neglect.”

She adds that everyone has an obligation to report child neglect, but professionals such as pedagogues, health visitors and teachers have an increased duty to report such matters.

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“Even the professionals sometimes hesitate to report child neglect,” she says.

“This is probably to a large degree due to the restrictions of living in a small community because people worry that bringing up issues like these may create conflicts with parents or other relatives.”

The number of children in Tórshavn put in foster care due to neglect is on the rise, going from 47 in 2018 to 60 so far this year.

This can be partly explained by the growing population in the capital, says Johannesen.

Translated by prosa.fo