Prior to the 13th Century in Europe, children were chattels who were often little better than slaves. This approach changed somewhat in the 17th and 18th Centuries, although the family was a strong unit well organized to produce goods for its own survival. Nineteenth-century industrialism upset the equilibrium of the family; men's work and women's work became rigidly divided into areas that rarely overlapped. During the 20th Century, children came to be regarded as complex, social animals, and the family was regarded as one of many socializing agents. Child welfare laws provided the means for increasing government access to the family. Between 1960 and 1980, the North American family experienced its most radical transformation. Major factors causing changes were the increased importance of personal freedom, the women's liberation movement, the end of the economic boom, the rise of the two-earner family, the increase in divorce, and the decrease in births. Currently, the majority of parents are caring individuals who want the best from their children. However, some families lack resources, competence, mental health, energy, or community support and cannot meet the needs of their children. An appropriate approach to families is to consider the raising of children as a public trust involving an integral family linked to a caring community. This view increases the responsibility on schools and underscores the need to plan strategies for child abuse prevention in the years ahead. 22 references and additional reading lists