Neglect: Neglect is a chronic inattention to the basic necessities of life and the failure to provide for a child's physical and emotional needs. An adult, including parents, coaches, and administrators, whose neglect (i.e. failure to act) results in or unnecessarily or unreasonably exposes a child to physical, emotional or sexual abuse is just as guilty of child abuse as those who directly participate in such abuse. Neglect can take any of the following forms in a youth sports context:
- Abandonment (Examples: parents who fail to adequately supervise their child's sports activities, to obtain medical treatment when they are injured, or postponing needed surgery so they can continue to play).
- Unreasonably exposing an athlete to the risk of physical abuse (Examples: Adults who, by their inattention, allow players, coaches or spectators to continue participating or attending youth sport contests despite a documented history of violent behavior).
- Unreasonably exposing an athlete to the risk of emotional abuse (Example: A parent who fails to intervene on behalf of his child in the face of a coach's persistent criticism of her child's ability, weight or lack of heart in front of her friends or teammates).
- Unreasonably exposing an athlete to the risk of sexual abuse (Example: A parent who fails to take reasonable steps to protect his child against a sexual predator, such as by allowing closed or private coaching sessions, or failing to ensure that overnight trips to tournaments are properly chaperoned).
- Failing to protect an athlete against unreasonable risk of injury (Examples: Adults who permit youth athletes to play on poorly maintained or dangerous fields or use obviously unsafe equipment, neglect to ensure that coaches receive adequate safety and first-aid training, or to ensure that appropriate safety equipment (first aid kit, AED etc.) is present at all practices and games).
- Failing to take reasonable steps to ensure that an athlete does not play hurt (Examples: Parents, coaches, and other adults who fail to institute or follow appropriate return-to-play guidelines - such as when a player may return to practice and games after suffering a concussion - or who allow a child to play injured).
- Failing to take reasonable steps to ensure that the child has proper rest, nutrition, hydration, and is properly protected against the elements (Examples: Parents who do not see that their teenage children to get the nine hours a night of sleep experts say teenagers need).
- Failure to take reasonable steps to eliminate hazing (Example: Parents, coaches, and administrators who fail to take affirmative steps to prevent hazing rituals.
