ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses child maltreatment trajectories from both epidemiological and developmental perspectives. A traditional state child welfare services agency has jurisdiction over child protective services, preventive services, foster care, and adoption. In general, substantiated reports of maltreatment provided by states to national child abuse and neglect data system fall into three major domains—physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect—plus a fourth category that includes emotional abuse and "other" forms of maltreatment. Rates of maltreatment decline with age, although there are small age-specific exceptions found in the data. Onset of maltreatment during adolescence clearly represents an altogether different developmental context that alters how one thinks about both the impact of maltreatment on a child's developmental trajectory and the types of services that have ameliorative potential. The chapter examines ways that a developmental perspective can help to shape the design of child welfare services and the allied service systems that are also involved in addressing the needs of these vulnerable children and families.
