ABSTRACT
Responding to a problem of the magnitude of child sexual abuse demands the effort and energy of many agencies that have a responsibility for abused children and their families. It requires the cooperative and coordinated approach of child welfare services, medical services, mental health services, the police, the court system, and the educational systems (McCleod & Wachtel, 1984; Mayhall & Norgard, 1983). Although professionals agree that no one agency has all the answers, it is equally clear that these agencies at times have difficulty developing the necessary coordination (Sgroi, 1982d). Agencies are reluctant to work to-, gether, and when they attempt to do so, differing philosophies and professional attitudes about the problem compound the difficulties of their task (Giarretto, 1982).
