Reviews proposals to reform the system by which public agencies receive and respond to reports of abuse and neglect, highlighting and describing one reform approach. The community-based partnership for child protection emphasizes targeting interventions by child protective services toward high-risk families while building collaborative community…

The history of child protection in the United States is marked by an unresolved tension between rescuing young children from abusive homes and strengthening the care their families can provide. The structure of the typical child protective effort is described against this backdrop. Deciding when intervention is necessary and mobilizing community…

Argues against placing the school in a lead position for delivery of services; and supports a community-based model in which diverse service providers, administrators, and institutions work collaboratively in a system of linked services. A community-based system would involve a consortium of existing agencies or a newly created entity. (SLD)