THIS REPORT COMES FROM AN UNCOMPLETED LARGER STUDY OF SOCIAL SERVICES IN A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES BEGUN BY THE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK IN 1972. THIS SECTION OF THE STUDY EXAMINES THE FOLLOWING ISSUES RELATING TO THE HANDLING OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT IN EIGHT COUNTRIES: THE DEFINITION OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT; HOW IT IS PERCEIVED AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM; PROCEDURES FOR IDENTIFYING ABUSED/NEGLECTED CHILDREN; THE NATURE OF PROGRAMS DEVELOPED TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM; THE NATURE OF RESEARCH INTO THE PROBLEM OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT; AND MAJOR ISSUES IDENTIFIED BY EXPERTS IN THE FIELD. IN EACH PARTICIPATING COUNTRY, DATA WERE ASSEMBLED AND ANALYZED BY LEADING RESEARCHERS WHO ARE NATIVES OF THE COUNTRIES STUDIED. REPORTS WERE WRITTEN AND SERVICE MODELS DESCRIBED FOR VARIOUS PARTS OF EACH COUNTRY. IN ADDITION, ONE OR MORE LOCAL JURISDICTION'S WERE SELECTED IN EACH NATION FOR MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS. THIS PRESENTATION IS A PRELIMINARY SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF THE DATA PROCESSED THUS FAR. IT IS INDICATED THAT CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT IS IMPRECISELY DEFINED IN MOST OF THE COUNTRIES STUDIED AND IN MANY, DOES NOT RECEIVE A FOCUS SEPARATE FROM GENERAL CHILD WELFARE SERVICES. RESEARCHERS IN ALL COUNTRIES AGREE THAT THERE ARE NO FIRM DATA ON THE INCIDENCE OF CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT, HOWEVER DEFINED. EXCEPT FOR CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES, NONE OF THE COUNTRIES STUDIED HAS A MANDATED CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT REPORTING SYSTEM. THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOCIAL AGENCIES IN MANY COUNTRIES IS THAT CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT IS A SYMPTOM FOR BROADER SOCIAL NEEDS IN A FAMILY WHICH MUST BE THE TARGET FOR A MULTIDISCIPLINARY, BROAD-BASED APPROACH TO FAMILY CARE. A CASE MANAGER WHO GUIDES ALL SERVICES TO A GIVEN FAMILY IS A PRIME FIGURE IN MOST OF THE PROGRAMS DESCRIBED. RESEARCH ON CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT IS CONSIDERED TO BE IN ITS INCIPIENT STAGES IN ALL THE COUNTRIES STUDIED, WITH THE UNITED STATES BEING MORE ADVANCED IN THIS RESPECT THAN THE OTHER COUNTRIES. (RCB)