The aim of this review was to provide an overview of the ideas and research evidence on child abuse and child protection in order to inform the work of the child protection review team. It is predominantly a review of UK research evidence. In some areas, however, UK evidence was found to be lacking and reference has been made to research from the US, Australia and elsewhere.
The research evidence is presented in three parts: Part I is about definitions and information and includes sections on defining child abuse and child protection; the extent of child abuse; and causes of child abuse. Part II is about identification and assessment and includes sections on identifying child abuse; reporting child abuse; investigation and decision making. Part III looks at addressing the problem and ‘what works’.