PROTECTIVE SERVICE PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED TO PROTECT CHILDREN WHO RISK BECOMING OR ACTUALLY ARE THE VICTIMS OF PHYSICAL ABUSE, NEGLECT, SEXUAL MOLESTATION, AND OTHER FORMS OF MALTREATMENT. DATA WERE COLLECTED AT TWO SITES: A SITE IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, WHICH HAS AN EMERGENCY REPORTING SYSTEM AND A 24-HOUR PROTECTIVE SERVICE PROGRAM; AND A SITE IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, WHICH HAS A MORE TRADITIONAL PROTECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM WITH NO INTERNAL PROVISION FOR 24-HOUR INTAKE WITHIN THE PUBLIC WELFARE SYSTEM. THIS REPORT IS BASED ON AN ANALYSIS OF BOTH SYSTEMS' OPERATIONS OR PROCESSES. THE PRIMARY GOAL WAS TO DETERMINE AND DESCRIBE THE INTERNAL FUNCTIONING OF THE PROTECTIVE SERVICE UNITS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE PARENT AGENCY (THE PUBLIC WELFARE AGENCY). BEYOND THESE CONSIDERATIONS, THE RESEARCHERS ATTEMPTED TO DETERMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PROTECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM AND THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT (MAJOR COLLATERAL SYSTEMS) IN ORDER TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE COMMUNITY NETWORK FOR HANDLING CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT CASES. THE STUDY FIRST COVERS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PROTECTIVE SERVICES, THE DEFINITION AND MAJOR ELEMENTS OF SERVICE SYSTEMS, AND METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY (INCLUDING BACKGROUND OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT, GENERAL OBJECTIVES, RESEARCH DESIGN, EVALUATION CRITERIA, AND LIMITATIONS). THE FINDINGS AT EACH SITE, REGARDING ITS RELATIONSHIP TO COLLATERAL SYSTEMS, SYSTEMS OPERATIONS, AND OBSERVED PROBLEMS, ARE REPORTED. A FINAL CHAPTER PROVIDES A DISCUSSION OF THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF THE TWO SYSTEMS IN TERMS OF SYSTEM STRUCTURE, A COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF THE SYSTEMS' FUNCTIONS, A SUMMARY OF MAJOR INSIGHTS, AND A PRESENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS (I.E., THAT INTAKE INTO THE MANDATED PROTECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM BE PROVIDED ON A 24-HOUR BASIS). (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DJM)