Child neglect is the failure of a parent or other person with responsibility for the child to provide the food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, and supervision necessary for the child's health, safety, and well-being. Placing the child in physically or emotionally harmful situations is also child neglect. Courts take child neglect seriously, and a parent or other person with custody of the child who is guilty of child neglect may lose custody of the child, and may face criminal charges.

In New Hampshire, child neglect is addressed under the state's child protection laws, which define neglect as the failure of a parent, guardian, or other person responsible for a child's care to provide the necessary sustenance, education, medical care, or any other care necessary for the child's health, safety, or well-being. This includes both physical and emotional neglect. New Hampshire law (RSA 169-C:3, XIX) also considers a child to be neglected if they are without proper parental care or control, subsistence, education as required by law, or other care necessary for their physical, mental, or emotional health, when it is not due to the family's lack of financial resources. The state's Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) is responsible for investigating reports of child neglect. If neglect is substantiated, the parent or guardian may face a range of consequences, from being required to participate in support services to losing custody of the child. Additionally, severe cases of neglect may result in criminal charges under New Hampshire's criminal statutes, which can include charges such as endangering the welfare of a child (RSA 639:3).