Some families that are currently in the CPS system should not be (overinclusion), and some families that should receive child protective services are not (underinclusion). Also, the number of families involved with CPS far exceeds the system's capacity; even families that do receive CPS do not receive the types of services appropriate for their needs; the basic orientation of the CPS system may not be right for some families in the system. To address these problems so that CPS better serves children and families, a new "differential response" paradigm for CPS is needed. The basic elements of this paradigm are the provision of a customized response to families, the development of community-based systems of child protection, and the involvement of informal and natural helpers. Moving from the CPS of today to the CPS of the future requires two types of changes: improving the effectiveness of the CPS system's response and increasing the role of community partners in child protection. 17 references