Rosie 2; a case of neglect

Neglect is the most common category for abuse of children under 1 (Cuthbert and Ryans 2011; Brandon et al 2010). It is more prevalent in large families (Brandon et al 2010) where there is a mother with low self-esteem (Moran 2011), frequent changes of partner, and with parents who frequently miss appointments (Brandon et al 2010). Because child neglect is difficult to assess and work with in families, the Centre for Child Protection at the University of Kent has developed a child protection virtual learning platform (serious game simulation) - 'Rosie 2’ - which is designed to engage and train child protection professionals. It follows a social worker and health visitor on a virtual home visit to a family where neglect is a significant concern. ‘Rosie 2’ takes practitioners into an immersive world where it is safe to explore practice options and emotional responses to different scenes; the professionals have to make choices and decisions regarding what will happen to all the children and to assess the parenting capacity of the mother, Connie. The resource is a reflective, safe space for practitioners to discuss issues, assess and re-asses and take risks safely