This Act amends the offence of criminal neglect, in section 14 of the Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935, to address difficulties experienced in the prosecution of offenders for that offence. It also creates a general offence of child neglect.

The Act addresses shortcomings experienced in practice by the police and the Director of Public Prosecutions arising from the definition of 'serious harm' as it applies to children who are the victims of the offending. These shortcomings have made it difficult to establish elements of the offence, particularly that the child has suffered 'serious harm' as defined.