On its website, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, formerly known as Massachusetts Department of Social Services defines neglect as follows:

Neglect happens when a child's basic needs are not provided for. Every youngster needs food, shelter, medical care, supervision, emotional stability and a chance to grow. When a care giver withholds these things, a child is neglected. This may happen deliberately or through negligence, or an inability to parent. The environmental circumstances that some parents may face, such as disability, homelessness or inadequate financial resources, are not seen as sources of neglect.

110 CMR 2.00 defines "neglect" as:

Neglect means failure by a caretaker, either deliberately or through negligence or inability, to take those actions necessary to provide a child with minimally adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care, supervision, emotional stability and growth, or other essential care; provided, however, that such inability is not due solely to inadequate economic resources or solely to the existence of a handicapping condition. This definition is not dependent upon location (i.e., neglect can occur while the child is in an out-of-home or in-home setting.)

Neglect is the failure to provide for a child's basic needs. This can include the failure to supervise a child properly, placing the child with inappropriate caretakers, dressing a child in clothing inappropriate for the weather, failure to provide medical or dental care, or the denial of love and affection.

Neglect is also exposing a child to domestic violence and substance abuse.