Contents 1. Child Abuse and Neglect Today - The Role of Child Protective Services - The demographics of Children in Need of Protection - Consequences of Reporting 2. A Comparative Perspective - Operation of child Protective Services - Sample Data - Criteria for Reporting - Procedures after Reporting - Differences in Outcome by Type of Reporter - Outcomes - Why Are U.S. Reporting Rates So High? 3. The Current Child Protective Services System - Scope - A Brief History of CPS - Underlying Assumptions - A Critical View of the System - Implications for a New Paradigm 4. Entry into the system - History of the Reporting Laws - The Reporting, Screening, and Investigation System - The Reforming the Intake System 5. Narrowing as a Strategy to Improve Child Protection - The Case for Narrowing - What Would "Narowing" Mean? - Evaluating the Case for Narrowing - How "Narrowing Plus" Might Be Accomplished - Unresolved Issues 6. Differential Response : A New paradigm for Child Protective Services - Paradigms for Child Protective Services - The Diversity and Complexity of Families Referred to CPS - Features of the Differential Response Paradigm - Moving to Differential Response 7. Working Together : Chid Protection Reform in Britain - The Development of the British CPS System - The Impetus for Reform - The children act of 1989 - Beyond the children Act 8. Changing frontline Practice - Implications of the New Paradigm - Lessons from Earlier Initiatives to Change Frontline Practice - How States and Localities Can Help 9. reforming Child Protection