Though child abuse has always existed, it was not until the 1960s that it became the subject of widespread public concern in the US. Drawing attention to the “Battered Child Syndrome,” medical professionals documented deliberate, repeated physical abuse of children by their parents. Today newspaper headlines and television broadcasts regularly expose cases of brutality that continue to evoke shock and horror. Over 3 million reports of suspected child abuse or neglect were made in 1996. Many cases are never even reported. Between 1990 and 1994, approximately 5,400 children died from abuse or neglect.

Early theories of child abuse were psychological, focusing exclusively on parental pathology. Present explanations are more complex, viewing child abuse as the product of multiple factors, including sociological elements, cultural norms and also characteristics of the parent, child and family. In a multicultural society it is difficult to define child abuse; what some consider to be abuse, others see as acceptable discipline. Currently for example, many debate whether corporal punishment is abuse.

Federal law defines child abuse broadly as “physical or mental injury sexual abuse, negligent treatment, or maltreatment of any child under the age of eighteen” by a parent or caretaker. Broad definitions leave child welfare workers with considerable discretion and the difficult task of balancing the sometimes conflicting goals of protecting children and keeping families together.