academic source & free choice

Schneider, Dona. American Childhood : Risks and Realities
New Brunswick, N.J. Rutgers University Press, 1995 pgs 187-198

The book might be an overview of the risks of childhood. The chapter I read largely dealt with a history of child abuse as it became a prominent issue and into the 1990's. It talks about cultural norms at different times, citing specific cases. One boy was soddomized by his stepfather and taken to the ER. When the Dr. reported the incident to the police, they referred to it as a "family issue" and not worth the paper work on charges that would only later be dropped. It gave some early statistics on who is abused. Some of the statistics are either outdated or inaccurate, more likely inaccurate. Thay may have been specific to sexual abuse as well, but hadn't said so. I think that the book might serve as a possible reference for the starting point of mass child abuse concern, but only if I can find another source to verify that.

Casey Family Programs and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2001). Key guide points for partnering with families. pub: Washington, DC http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/phd897/

The article had a lists of ideas on how best to approach preventative parental education targeting groups that may be at higher risk for abuse. The intended audience may have been social workers or community workers, and the article may be difficult to use in this repost. The site itself, however, had a wealth of obscure articles and information specifically related to child abuse. I saw alot of material that might be useful as I research further.