IN 1976, THE UTAH DIVISION OF FAMILY SERVICES RECEIVED A VALID REPORT OF CHILD ABUSE ON THE AVERAGE OF ONCE EVERY 2 HOURS AND 37 MINUTES. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT ONE OR TWO DEATHS ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT IN THE STATE OCCUR EVERY MONTH. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REPORTED CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT CASES HAS INCREASED FROM 4,500 IN 1975 TO 6,852 IN 1977, WITH 1 IN 5 CASES BEING INVALID. A SURVEY OF DAVIS COUNTY RESIDENTS SUGGESTS THAT REPORTED CASES MAY ACCOUNT FOR LESS THAN HALF OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF INCIDENTS OCCURING IN THE STATE. ANALYSIS OF THE NATIONWIDE RESPONSES TO THESE PROBLEMS SHOW THAT DEALING WITH CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT IS ESSENTIALLY A THREE-STEP PROCESS INVOLVING PREVENTION, REACTION, AND TREATMENT. MEASURES DESIGNED TO PREVENT HIGH RISK PARENTS FROM ABUSING HAVE PRESENTED SEVERAL PROBLEMS. IN ORDER TO REACT TO ABUSE OR NEGLECT, SOCIAL SERVICES MUST BE INFORMED OF A CASE AFTER THE CASE HAS BEEN DETECTED. THERE ARE A WIDE VARIETY OF TREATMENT PROGRAMS BEING OFFERED ACROSS THE NATION AND IN UTAH. AS OF MARCH 1976, UTAH WAS ONE OF THREE STATES WHICH DID NOT HAVE A CENTRAL REGISTER. SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVES FOR UTAH TO CONSIDER, INCLUDING A CENTRAL REGISTRY, INCREASED STAFF, CRISIS NURSERIES, AND SHARING-PARENTS PROGRAMS, ARE MENTIONED. THE REPORT CONTAINS SUGGESTIONS FOR A MAJOR REVISION OF UTAH'S CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT LAW. A GLOSSARY OF TERMS, REQUIREMENTS OF P.L. 93-247, APPROPRIATE UTAH STATUTES AND LEGISLATION, AND MATERIALS PRESENTED TO THE COMMITTEE ARE APPENDED. FOOTNOTES AND STATISTICAL TABLES ARE INCLUDED. (KCP)