| Abstract: | Recent theories advocating ecological and developmental perspectives on child abuse and neglect are summarized. Reviews of community prevention programmes underline the importance of focusing on processes and viewing the developing child and their family in a broad context. The conclusions of the reviews are reported. Although the reviews suggest that some programmes to prevent physical and sexual abuse and bullying are at least to some degree effective, their impact has been reduced by a failure to encompass adequately the various influences that operate across difference domains of the child's life at different stages of their development. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
