DATA WERE COMPILED FROM INFORMATION PROVIDED BY LOCAL COUNTY WELFARE AND SOCIAL SERVICE UNITS. DATA DO NOT REFLECT THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS WHICH OCCURRED OR WERE REPORTED. A RECENT STUDY CONDUCTED BY DPW INDICATED THAT ONLY SLIGHTLY MORE THAN HALF OF THE REPORTS RECEIVED BY COUNTY AGENCIES ARE SENT TO DPW. IN ADDITION, MANY INCIDENTS ARE EITHER UNDETECTED OR ARE NOT REPORTED TO LOCAL AGENCIES. ABUSE CASES REPORTED HAVE GROWN FROM 44 IN 18 COUNTIES IN 1966 TO 2,088 IN 80 COUNTRIES IN 1978. A SHARP INCREASE OCCURRED IN 1975, THE FIRST YEAR ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONALS WERE MANDATED TO REPORT. MANDATORY REPORTING OF NEGLECT CASES BEGAN IN AUGUST 1978. OF THE TOTAL OF 2,589 REPORTED CASES OF ABUSE, NEGLECT, OR BOTH, 1,536 WERE SUBSTANTIATED AND 1,053 WERE NOT SUBSTANTIATED. THE FEWEST REPORTS WERE RECEIVED IN JULY AND THE MOST WERE RECEIVED IN OCTOBER. MALES AND FEMALES WERE ABUSED IN ALMOST EQUAL NUMBERS UNTIL EARLY ADOLESCENCE, WHEN MANY MORE FEMALES THAN MALES WERE SEXUALLY ABUSED. DATA INDICATED THAT SEXUAL ABUSE CONSTITUTES 25 TO 40 PERCENT OF ALL INCIDENTS OF ABUSE. ABUSE AND NEGLECT CASES OCCURRED MORE FREQUENTLY AMONG YOUNGER PARENTS AND AMONG LOW-INCOME FAMILIES. DATA ON AGE AND SEX OF PERPETRATORS AND VICTIMS, FAMILY INCOME, THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE PERPETRATOR AND THE VICTIM, TYPES OF HARM SUFFERED, AND FAMILY SIZE ARE PRESENTED. DATA INDICATE GROWING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT AS WELL AS CONTROVERSY OVER THE VALIDITY OF PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT VERSUS NONVIOLENT DISCIPLINE. AS REPORTING INCREASES, THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND TRAINING NEEDS OF SOCIAL SERVICES WORKERS AND CHILD PROTECTION WORKERS CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED TO INCREASE. ADDITIONAL DATA FOR PLANNING WILL ALSO BE NEEDED. TABLES AND AN ADDRESS FROM WHICH TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ARE PROVIDED. (CFW)