The issue of whether parents whose children are obese should be charged with neglect has fueled debate and generated controversial court cases, but, according to an article published this week in BMJ, so far there is little research analyzing negligence and obesity — and particularly whether obese children who are put into foster care fare better than they did with their parents — and a paucity of resources for health professionals attempting to determine what’s best for their young patients. Given the absence of in-depth analysis, the team of authors — including experts in child and adolescent health and psychiatry — suggest a way forward that attempts to distinguish when childhood obesity is a symptom of parental neglect or abuse.