Addressing Affluent Neglect: Why the Children Who Look Like They Are Thriving May Need Us the Most — Neil Moggan
Success, achievement and opportunity do not always equal emotional wellbeing. This session explores the concept of affluent neglect and how some young people who appear confident, successful and high-performing on the outside may be silently struggling underneath. I will explore how perfectionism, masking, fierce self-reliance and negative self-talk can make these students some of the hardest to identify and support. Drawing on trauma-informed practice, attachment theory and real school examples, colleagues will explore the power of emotionally available adults, movement and belonging in creating the conditions for young people to flourish. Colleagues will leave with practical strategies to recognise hidden struggles, create psychological safety and ensure every child feels safe, valued and truly seen.
About the speaker
Neil Moggan’s mission was shaped by the community he served in his own school, where there was a 13-year difference in life expectancy depending on which side of the main road outside the school children were born. That experience continues to fuel his commitment to empowering schools to become protective factors in young people’s lives.
A former Director of Sport, Health & RSHE with 20 years’ teaching experience, Neil is now the Founding Director of Future Action and a PhD researcher at Bath Spa University. Since lockdown, he has partnered with more than 300 schools globally, empowering leaders to co-create bespoke wellbeing programmes that build emotional regulation, belonging and resilience through relationships, movement, and self-care wellbeing toolkits.
Neil specialises in Trauma-Informed PE, early intervention wellbeing strategies, and whole-school approaches to embedding movement wrapped in care throughout the school day. He is the creator of the RISE Up programme, winner of the UK’s Leading Student Wellbeing Teacher Training Course 2025 & 2026, and author of Time to RISE Up - Supporting Students’ Mental Health in Schools.
