It has been well-recognized from previous research that certain factors in a child’s environment are associated with an increased risk of that child being maltreated. Risks previously identified include: intergenerational cycle of abuse, various parental factors, and social factors. Building on this previous research, this study used a multivariate analysis to explore risk factors within an ecological framework. The research was based on a large cohort study in which data on the environment and health of the children were collected at regular intervals from early antenatal booking and throughout childhood. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) was based on a cohort of children born in Avon (England) in 1991 through 1992. The initial stage of the research was the study of background parental factors identified predominantly through antenatal questionnaires. Two of the strongest variables identified in this analysis were parental age and education. Young parental age is an important association with child maltreatment, but it is clear that the majority of young parents do no maltreat their children. A low level of educational attainment may reflect a variety of underlying factors including age and socio-economic status. In addition, the importance of a parental psychiatric history was highlighted as a factor. These three key factors (age, educational achievement, and psychiatric history) within the parental backgrounds are supported by the data and are of prime importance in an understanding of maltreatment. The study suggests that psychodynamic models are inadequate to explain child maltreatment and wider models incorporating other ecological domains are needed. Tables, figures and references