Childhood Obesity Policy and Practice Guidance

When does Obesity become a safeguarding issue?

Childhood obesity alone is a concern but not usually a child protection concern. A consultation with the family of an obese child should not raise safeguarding issues if obesity is the only cause for concern. The root causes of obesity are complex and in many instances it is not appropriate to institute child protection proceedings in relation to parental neglect as being the cause of the obesity.

However, practitioners working with obese children must be mindful of the possible role of abuse or neglect in contributing to the obesity. Older children and adolescents should be offered the chance to speak apart from their parents to explore their understanding of their weight issues.

Darlington Safeguarding Partnership has developed a policy and practice guidance document to support practitioners who may have concerns that a child is obese and that neglect is considered to be a factor.  The guidance can be viewed below:

Child Obesity in the context of Neglect Policy and Practice Guidance [pdf document]