https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872818810382 International Social Work 1–13 © The Author(s) 2018 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0020872818810382 journals.sagepub.com/home/isw isw Conceptualisation of child neglect: A Ghanaian practice narrative Esmeranda Manful Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana Alhassan Abdullah Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana Abstract Child neglect incidents are the most frequent cases reported to the Department of Social Welfare in Ghana. Therefore, an effective approach to inform practice decisions to curb the numbers is of great importance. Using a qualitative research design, 28 Practitioners’ and parents’ narratives on the perception and causes of child neglect were explored. The study revealed that there is a convergence and divergence of views on how child neglect is conceptualised. The findings suggest the need for practitioners to intensify awareness on some of Ghana’s cultural practices, such as inheritance expectations, that hinder better outcomes for children. Keywords Child neglect, child welfare, Ghana, parenting, Practitioners Introduction Child neglect is a parenting issue; however, parenting is a practice that more often than not is taken for granted in Ghana (Nukunya, 2016). This is more so due to economic circumstances and struc- tural factors making the measurement of good parenting challenging. Dickens (2007) contends that the difficulty in measuring or contextualising what is considered as ‘good parenting’ influences the intervention of child neglect issues, since the identification of child neglect is considered as the foundation of government or child protection workers’ intervention. Although a standardised threshold for intervening in child neglect issues is contested in some countries (Dickens, 2007; O’Donnell et al., 2008; Platt and Turney, 2014), Ghana’s Children’s Act stipulates that action has to be taken once an issue is reported. As mandatory and primary reporters of child neglect in Ghana, it is imperative to explore parents’ conceptualisation of neglect since their understanding Corresponding author: Alhassan Abdullah, Department of Sociology and Social Work, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana +233, Private Mail Bag, University Post Office, Ghana. Email: abdullahalhassan14@gmail.com 810382ISW 0 0 10.1177/0020872818810382International Social WorkManful and Abdullah research-article 2018 Article