WHEN CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT OCCURS, THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO VICTIMS--THE CHILD AND THE PARENT. PARENTS ANONYMOUS CONSIDERS ALL PEOPLE IN SOCIETY TO BE VICTIMS WHENEVER CHILD ABUSE OCCURS. STUDIES COLLECTING DATA ON THE AFTEREFFECTS OF ABUSE--DEATH, EMOTIONAL SCARS AND DISFIGUREMENT, PERMANENT PHYSICAL DAMAGE AND DISABILITY, CRIME, PRISON, MORE CRIME, AND MORE PRISON--REINFORCE THE IDEA THAT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY IS AFFECTED. WITH 600,000 CASES OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT REPORTED ANNUALLY AND AN ESTIMATED 400,000 UNREPORTED, THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE IN CHICAGO CONSIDERS THE SITUATION AN EPIDEMIC. ENDING THE SILENCE ABOUT CHILD ABUSE IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARD INITIATING CHANGE. ONCE THE SUBJECT IS OUT IN THE OPEN, LOCAL AGENCIES, STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS, PAID STAFF, VOLUNTEERS, LEGISLATORS, AND FAMILIES WITH ABUSE PROBLEMS CAN CONTRIBUTE RELEVANT ANSWERS TO THIS PROBLEM. LEGAL DEFINITIONS OF CHILD ABUSE VARY FROM STATE TO STATE. RATHER THAN A SINGLE ACT, CHILD ABUSE IS A PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. THE LONGER IT CONTINUES, THE MORE SERIOUS IT BECOMES AND THE MORE DEVASTATING ITS EFFECTS UPON THE CHILD. THEORIES OF CHILD ABUSE ARE DISCUSSED BRIEFLY AND MANY VOLUNTEER GROUPS ARE EXAMINED. INCLUDED IN THIS EXAMINATION ARE PROGRAMS THAT USE PARENT AIDES, MULTIPLE-SERVICE GROUPS, SELF-HELP GROUPS, CRISIS LINES, TEMPORARY HOMES, THERAPEUTIC DAY CARE, ADOLESCENT COUNSELING, LEGAL HELP, AND ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC AWARENESS PROGRAMS. PROGRAM ADDRESSES, RESOURCE GROUP LISTINGS, REFERENCES, AND SAMPLE FORMS ARE PROVIDED. (PRG)