The term "cultural competence" is now widely used to refer to practice that is geared toward knowledge of and skills in working with cultural groups other than one's own. It also has a political and activist component that promotes the empowerment and inclusion of culturally diverse professionals in decisionmaking positions. The field of child maltreatment and protection has recognized the need for cultural competence. The next step involves the improved implementation of cultural competence in practice and research. Culturally competent research that contributes to practice must include attention to variations in child maltreatment across cultures in relationship to familial and child-rearing traditions in various cultures. Cultural conditioning, however, must be examined within a specific context that may involve variables that modify various cultural manifestations, such as neighborhood or community characteristics. Regarding methodological issues in the study of culture, multiple methods used in collaborative ways will help to move a cultural agenda forward. Although research on culture and child abuse has used multiple methods, including ethnography, vignettes, focus groups, clinical studies, and population surveys, these methods have rarely been used collaboratively. Cultural variables should be included in virtually all research on child maltreatment. Overall, the aim of culturally competent research must be to understand how culture, in its ecological context, is involved in the etiology and consequences of maltreatment and how it can be used in prevention and treatment. 27 references